


Ruffians

by alternatively_troublesome



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - High School, Anxiety, GSA, M/M, Washington is a teacher who is over it, some homophobia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-09
Updated: 2018-05-03
Packaged: 2018-06-07 07:03:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 32,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6792328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alternatively_troublesome/pseuds/alternatively_troublesome
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“What’s your name, son?”</p><p>“Alexander Hamilton. My name is Alexander Hamilton.”</p><p>Aaron knew that this was the start of something, he could feel it in his bones.</p><p>~</p><p>AKA the revolutionary bros start a GSA in an Anglican HS</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“What’s your name, son?”

“Alexander Hamilton. My name is Alexander Hamilton.”

Aaron had been catching up on some history reading when he glanced up at the new student, the confidence in the kid’s—Alexander’s—voice snatching away his attention. Alexander was… Well, he was incredibly attractive. His crooked smirk, his rosy cheeks, his piercing eyes… Aaron felt like those eyes could see through anyone and oh god they were on him and—Was that a wink?! Aaron quickly looked back down at his textbook, cheeks red.

“Well, Alexander, go ahead and take a seat. I’ll let you get acquainted with your classmates.” Mr. Washington pat Alexander on the shoulder once before Alexander went to find a place with the rest of the homeroom. Aaron was extremely conscious of Alexander’s movements, which accumulated with Alexander sliding into the seat right next to him. Aaron focused all of his energy on keeping his eyes on the textbook in front of him or, when that failed, anywhere but the new kid.

“Aaron Burr?” Alexander asked suddenly and Aaron’s gaze flicked to him.

“I, uh… Yes? Have we met before?” Aaron was cautious, splitting his focus between the mind-reading newbie and his internal panic about not finishing his reading in time for class.

“No, no,” Alexander laughed, “it’s on your notebook.” He motioned down to Aaron’s opened bag. 

“Oh.” There was a beat of silence. Aaron looked back down at his book. At this rate, he’d have to opt for simply skimming the text, an idea he was not fond of.

“What’re you reading?” Alexander asked, leaning closer, almost to the point of slipping off of his chair.

“It’s my APUSH textbook,” Aaron explained, not looking up. “I didn’t get to finish reading last night and it’s my first period today.”

“Oh really? I’m trying to get into that class.” Alexander’s words were fast, excited, passionate. “That’s Mr. Washington’s class, right? Honestly, I would have gotten into it at my last school, but, well, when I told the registrar, he looked at me like I was stupid!” He paused and looked at Aaron with a serious expression. “I’m not stupid. And, well, heh, that’s part of why I’m not there anymore.”

Aaron knew he had reading to do and he knew he didn’t have time for this, but… “What do you mean?”

“I got a little out of sorts with him, it’s all a blur, really. And, well, I may have punched him,” Alexander practically spat he was talking so fast. He looked nervous and a little vulnerable. 

“You punched the registrar,” Aaron repeated. Alexander nodded guiltily, “Well,” Aaron half-laughed, “I’m sure that Mr. Washington would love to have you in his class. Just have a talk with him.”

“That’s great!” Alexander exclaimed, his grin lit up brighter than Times Square. It was very endearing. Aaron had to use all of his self-control to look away. “I’m really pumped to be in that class. I know I can ace that exam.” He paused, looking just past Aaron. It was almost as if he had some inside look at the future in that moment, as if he knew exactly what he would accomplish. The moment passed as soon as it came and Alexander was back to over-excited (apparently, it was his resting state). “What do you guys talk about? Ooh, please tell me you aren’t past the revolution yet! That’s my faaaavorite part of history.”

“Actually, no, we’re in the middle of it now,” Aaron responded with a smirk. His better judgment told him to get back to reading, but there was something about Alexander that made him want to keep talking. “I’m doing some current event readings now, though.” That seemed to grab Alexander more than anything, his eyes widening and a tiny gasp escaping.

“Really? How much do you talk about? What’re you covering now? Oh, oh, is there anything about the election? Or how about foreign aid?” Alexander was going at a hundred miles an hour and Aaron would have almost thought it adorable if the next question hadn’t come. “Have you discussed LGBTQ+ rights?”

“Can I give you a piece of advice?” Aaron shot quickly, his demeanor immediately shifting to something sterner. Alexander nodded excitedly. “Talk less. Smile more.” Alexander’s smile faded a little.

“Seriously?” His voice faltered. He sounded almost… betrayed. 

“Just don’t… don’t let anyone here know what you’re about, okay?” Aaron added, trying to make his curt advice kinder. “It’s safer like that.”

Alexander opened his mouth to say something, his expression still so hurt, but the bell stopped them. Aaron winced; he had barely gotten halfway through his reading. Sure, he was good enough at BS-ing to make it through the class, but he mentally scolded himself. What would his parents think?

“I should get going.” Alexander’s voice was quiet, disheartened, and Aaron felt terrible. He hadn’t meant to let the kid down like that, really. But their school, Northeastern Anglican Academy, was most definitely not liberal. Aaron had seen what happened to kids that tried to disrupt the status quo: detention, meetings with parents, special weekend classes. It was never pretty.

Alexander was gathering up his books when a trio of boys stumbled through the door, their voices loud, laughter on the edge of their words. Aaron sighed. 

“What time is it?” Laurens bellowed as they made their way to the back of the class, closer to Aaron. 

“It’s eigh—“ a clueless classmate began, unaware that this was their daily routine.

“SHOWTIME,” the other two, Lafayette and Mulligan responded. They began rapping, introducing themselves as they did each day. Mr. Washington sighed, running a hand down his face. Laurens and Lafayette always made sure that they were very visible about their pride. Aaron was completely disillusioned to the group’s shenanigans, knowing that it was better to keep his head down than to engage, but Alexander looked entranced.

“Aaron Burr,” Mulligan called and the trio gathered around his desk. 

“Give us a verse,” Laurens invited. “Show off that pride.”

“Thanks, but no thanks,” Aaron said, shaking his head. “It’s better not to take a stand.”

“Boo,” the three pouted in unison.

“Come on, Burr. Why’re you stalling?” Laurens questioned. Aaron opened his mouth to respond, but another voice cut in before he could.

“If you stand for nothing, Burr, what will you fall for?” Alexander asked. All heads twisted to look at him, shock evident.

“Who’s this?” Laurens turned to Burr.

“Who’re you?” Lafayette addressed the person in question.

“Alexander Hamilton,” he answered, his expression overwhelmingly proud. 

“You know,” Laurens began, leaning on Aaron’s desk, “we’re working on forming a GSA. You should get involved. We could use more people like you.”

“Laurens is correct. That kind of talk is exactly what we need,” Lafayette confirmed. 

Aaron watched from his desk—which happened to be in the middle of their conversation, thank you very much—saddened by how easily the trio was taking away the new kid. Sure, fine, Aaron didn’t own him or anything, but he had sort of hoped he’d have a peer. Alexander seemed excited about the same things that he was excited about, but Laurens, Lafayette, and Mulligan seemed to appeal to him more. 

It wasn’t that Aaron didn’t have pride or that he didn’t want better LGBTQ+ rights. Not at all. He simply understood how the school worked. Not to mention, his preacher grandfather would most definitely disown him. There was just no good that could come of being so vocal. Right?

“We’re planning to talk to Mr. Washington later today,” Mulligan explained. “How about you come along with us?” 

“Yes! Yes, sure thing,” Alexander nodded excitedly. “I will be there.” The bell rang, signaling the beginning of class. “Oh, wait, shit! I’m not in this class! I really need to go but I’ll be here later and then we can talk and…” He continued to go on, tripping over his words just a little, as he ran out the door.

“We gotta get that kid in front of a crowd,” Laurens commented. Lafayette and Mulligan nodded in agreement. Aaron gulped. This was the start of something, he could feel it in his bones.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to meet the Schuylers!

Aaron doesn’t see Alexander for the rest of the school day and he tries his best to push away the feeling of disappointment that this brings him. He was switching books out at his locker when his phone buzzed angrily in his pocket. Before he even had the chance to look at it, he groaned. Grandfather.

“Hello, sir,” he answered.

“Aaron. There was an incident with one of the families. I will have a late night. I have notified Phillip Schuyler that you will be staying at his house tonight.” His grandfather, Jonathon Edwards, was a stern man, a fire and brimstone preacher at a local parish. Many of the families attended his services, including the Schuyler family: Phillip and his three daughters, Angelica, Elizabeth (AKA Eliza), and Peggy.

“Yes, sir,” Aaron responded. This was not terribly new to him. His grandfather was often called away to assist with familial issues of his followers, and since Aaron’s grandmother had passed away several years earlier, Aaron had been staying with the Schuylers on such occasions.

“Express your thanks to Mr. Schuyler when you see him.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do not bother the girls, either, Aaron.”

“Of course not, sir.”

“Be safe getting there.”

“Of course, sir.”

A beat passed and Aaron could almost see his grandfather’s contemplative expression in front of him.

“Don’t forget your homework. Goodbye, Aaron.”

“Goodbye, sir.” Aaron stuffed his phone back in his pocket once he heard the click of his grandfather hanging up. His relationship with his grandfather was tense, to say the least. Aaron knew that he wasn’t straight, had known it for forever, but his grandfather didn’t. Or maybe he did, and that’s why he was rigid when it came to Aaron. Who knew? Either way, Aaron knew that, despite their immense disagreements on most subjects, it was better to stay silent and nod along rather than engage. His sister had done that once and, well… She made it very clear when she graduated high school that she would never ever be back.

Aaron frowned at the thought of his sister. He missed her dearly. Granted, they had never been particularly close, but, when their parents had died, she was the one that helped him through it. He fondly remembered the nights that she would stay up late with her arms curled around him, telling him stories of their parents for hours.

He shook his head, pushing the nostalgia away and shutting his locker. He had to get to the bus stop so that he could—Aaron glanced down at his phone to see a text from Eliza.

Eliza: _Heard you're staying with us tonight. We’re in Town Square. Meet us there! :)_

Aaron shook his head and let out a small laugh. Eliza and especially Angelica were known for their rebellious nature, which their father either didn’t know about or didn’t really care too much about. Most kids in town were expected to go straight home after school, but there were a few, a “rebellious” bunch, that did not. The Schuyler sisters belonged to such a group. Aaron usually did not, but, fighting against the building anxiety in his chest, he decided that he would join them today, if only for a little while.

Their small town in upstate New York was located on the eastern border of a bustling city and the two entities could not be anymore different. The suburbs were easily categorized as the religious portion of the town. There was a parish every few blocks, parties were non-existent (apart from the occasional evening dinner party), and the whole place generally seemed like a utopia. It wasn’t, of course, but the residents liked to think of it that way. The city, on the other hand, was a polar opposite. Parties, rallies, riots, gatherings—they all dotted the streets nearly nightly. The religious ideals of the suburbs ended as soon as the city streets began. As a result, most of the residents of the suburbs rarely ventured into the city except to buy groceries or Sunday best. The Northeastern Anglican Academies for Boys and Girls (separately, of course) were located just between the suburbs and the city in order to draw saints and sinners alike.

Town Square, located in the center of the city, was generally characterized by its academic-slash-activist crowd (and its good music, which Aaron recalls his grandfather calling “Lucifer’s mating call”). Aaron couldn’t help but bob his head along to the beat as he searched the crowd for the Schuyler sisters.

“Look around, look around,” a voice suddenly sang into his ear, matching the tune of the current song. Aaron spun around to see Eliza, large grin on her lips. Angelica stood confidently beside her and Peggy, the poor dear, stood behind them looking utterly uncomfortable. She, unlike her sisters, did not enjoy being rebellious.

“Hello, ladies,” Aaron smiled. “What brings you to the terrible city today?”

“One of the college kids gave a speech about disability rights today,” Angelica explained. “It was alright, but he did have a certain able-ist edge.” Eliza nodded in agreement.

“Mm,” Aaron hummed. “So, why are you all still here?”

“Angelica was flirting with the college boys,” Eliza said in a mock-whisper. Angelica pursed her lips, but a true smile shown forth a moment later; the Schuyler sisters, though still normal siblings, loved each other more than anything else. Aaron admired that.

“I was looking for a mind at work, my dear sister,” Angelica corrected.

“Of course, of course,” Aaron conceded. “Are you ready to get going?” Before anyone could answer, a voice pierced through the crowd.

“Aaron Burr,” a familiar voice called, and Aaron turned to find Alexander, followed by Laurens, Lafayette, and Mulligan. Aaron couldn’t help but feel warm when he saw the massive grin on Alexander’s face, but pushed the feeling down quickly.

“Alexander. What’re you doing here?” Aaron asked, a smile playing at his lips.

“These boys were just showing me around the square,” he answered, motioning to the trio behind him, who all waived. Aaron chuckled and waived back. “Who are your friends?” There was a hint of something in his voice, an edge.

"These are the Schuyler sisters, Angelica, Eliza, and Peggy.” Aaron motioned to each one of them and couldn’t help but notice the expressions on both Eliza and Angelica’s faces. They were interested in him, that was definite. To what extent, Aaron could only guess at. He couldn’t deny that he felt more than a little jealous when he turned back to see Alexander looking back at Eliza. He cleared his throat and they snapped out of their daze.

“Angelica, we should go,” Peggy begged, tugging on her sister’s shirt.

“Peggy’s right,” Eliza sighed reluctantly.

“Wait,” Alexander said quickly, his eyes darting between Aaron and Eliza. “Can I get your number?” Aaron wasn’t sure who Alexander was asking, but didn’t have time to decide before Eliza stepped forward, reciting her digits eagerly. Alexander took them down with a kind smile, and then his eyes flicked to Aaron, anticipation evident in his expression. “Aaron?”

“Right,” Aaron murmured, shocked. He listed off his number, failing to hide his grin.

“Great! Perfect.” Alexander was doing that big goofy grin again. “I’ll try not to call you too late,” he said with a wink, and Aaron was blushing like he’d never blushed before. How was this kid getting so far under his skin? He was going to have to get this under control, pronto.

“We should be off, then,” Angelica interjected. “Bye, boys.”

“Goodbye, Alexander,” Eliza beamed, waiving as she turned away.

“See you tomorrow,” Aaron mumbled with a shy smile.

“Bye, ladies,” Alexander called. He turned to Aaron and, with a tender expression, added, “Goodbye, Aaron.” Aaron reddened again. He nodded quickly and followed the Schuyler sisters before he embarrassed himself even more.

He had only just buckled his seat belt in the Schuyler’s car when his phone vibrated. Alexander.

Unknown: _I really liked your shirt._

Aaron glanced down by reflex, taking note of his purple button down. It didn’t seem very special to him, but he couldn’t help the grin that grew on his lips. His phone buzzed again before he could respond.

Unknown: _I hope you didn’t give me a wrong number, Aaron._

Unknown: _That would really put a damper on our relationship._

Aaron was screaming internally at this point. He couldn’t tell if Alexander was simply naturally flirtatious, or if maybe, just maybe… Nope. No. Definitely not. Not a good road to go down. Aaron put his phone down and focused on listening to the Schuyler sisters’ conversation, which was currently about their homeroom teachers. He lasted maybe a minute before he grabbed his phone.

Aaron: _Well, I wouldn’t want that._

He looked up at the road in front of him. What was he doing? What was he thinking? His grandfather would murder him, he would get dragged into such a fray at school, and, oh god, what would his parents—

Alexander: _Glad we’re on the same page. See you in class ;)_

Well, shit. This was the beginning of the end, wasn’t it?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cute text messages, conflicting feelings, and sleeping early, oh my! 
> 
> The Schuyler household is lit, guys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all. Sorry this chapter came a little later and is a little shorter. I had finals all last week and now I'm in the process of cleaning and organizing and basically just dying over here in the summer heat. But that's okay! I should have more frequent updates from this point on since it's officially break!! Yay!!

Aaron enjoyed spending time at the Schuyler residence. Despite belonging to his grandfather’s congregation, Phillip Schuyler was not nearly as strict as one would assume. While he tried to keep his daughters away from revolutionary types (people like Laurens, Lafayette, Mulligan, and probably Alexander), he seemed to understand that it was inevitable. For example, upon arriving home from the bustling city, the Schuyler sisters only received a disappointed expression as their father paused his nightly newspaper read. The moment passed quickly and soon Mr. Schuyler was merrily discussing schoolwork and classes with his daughters and Aaron.

Later that night, while Aaron sat on the bed in the guest bedroom and worked diligently on his English homework, a loud chorus of squeals erupted from down the hall. Before he could react, the sound of footsteps rushing down the hall filled his room, soon followed by Angelica and Peggy Schuyler.

“Burr, tell me _everything_ you know about this Alexander kid,” Angelica commanded, brandishing Eliza’s cell phone.

“Well, I just met him today… What’s all this about?” he asked, looking warily at the phone.

“He texted Eliza,” Peggy squealed. “And, oh gosh, how sweet! I am dead. Show him, Angelica.”

Aaron took the phone from Angelica and scrolled through the messages. He felt a guilty sense of superiority when he noticed that Alexander had waited a few hours to text Eliza (rather than the, what, two minutes to text Aaron?), but that faded quickly as he read.

Alex: _Good evening, Eliza :)_

Eliza: _Oh haha hello Alexander. How are you?_

Alex: _I’m great, now that I’m talking to you. Hbu?_

Eliza: _Glad that I could be of service :P_

Eliza: _Do you mind if I ask why you were in the square today? Most kids from NAA don’t hang around there._

Alex: _Trying to gain support for a budding GSA with Laurens and the guys._

Eliza: _That’s quite a noble cause!_

Alex: _And worth it all for meeting you._

Aaron did his best to hide the frown he could feel creeping through, and instead smiled up at the duo, who were now joined by a blushing Eliza at the door.

“It’s nothing, guys,” Eliza protested quietly. “He’s probably just kidding around.”

“It seems like he really likes you,” Aaron countered. While he certainly felt let down by Alexander’s obvious crush on Eliza, he couldn’t help but feel happy for her on some level. Eliza was better than pretty much everyone he knew; she deserved anything she wanted.

“Thanks, Aaron,” she laughed, “but I think all this nonsense is because you three are up way too late. Come on, daddy will come out her and lecture us any minute now.”

As the girls grudgingly headed off to bed, Aaron heard his phone buzz on the nightstand next to him.

Alexander: _By the way, I got into APUSH and my schedule got changed up a bit. Laurens says you and I have a bunch of classes in common. Looks like we’ll be seeing each other a lot more!_

Aaron stared at the message for a long while, his fingers typing a few letters and then deleting them. If he had seen this earlier, he would have been a little confused on how to respond; now, seeing this after Eliza’s messages, he felt like tossing his phone out the window. His phone buzzed again before he had the chance.

Alexander: _Not that I mind ;)_

The best Aaron could do was plant his face into the pillow behind him and let out a muffled groan. In less than twenty-four hours, this kid had accomplished more than anyone Aaron knew could accomplish in a year. Ridiculous! Aaron knew that this was a sign that he should just cut his losses now and begin avoiding Alexander. He could see it now: he would pass his classes easily, he would maintain good relationships with everyone (especially his grandfather), he would go off to a great college, and… and he would probably never be able escape Alexander for that long. They were juniors now, which meant two years left of high school and, while Aaron was quite good at pushing feelings away and waiting for the right time to act, Alexander seemed like the most impatient person he had ever met. Even more than that, though, Aaron had a bad feeling about going that route, something deep down that he couldn’t quite put his finger on but also couldn’t deny.

Okay, so what was the alternate? Aaron didn’t dare permit himself to fantasize about it, though he couldn’t help the happy glimpses that came to mind: joining the GSA at NAA (maybe even becoming one of the leaders in it), becoming friends with Laurens, Lafayette, and Mulligan, spending more time with Alexander, perhaps even becoming something more. He felt inexplicably warm, and willed the feeling to go away. His phone buzzed and his efforts failed as a smile forced its way to his lips.

Alexander: _Burr, you better not be sleeping this early. I can’t associate with people that are in bed before 11._

Aaron stared at the message for a long while. His inner debate came to a head when thoughts of his parents settled into his mind. He could almost feel their disappointment from beyond the grave. Aaron couldn’t do it.

He set his phone back down on the nightstand, set the finished work he’d done aside, and turned the light out. Aaron was on the brink of sleep when his phone buzzed once more.

Alexander: _That’s okay. I’ll make an exception for you. Night, Aaron._

He closed his eyes and drifted off as the warmth engulfed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh this boy. THIS BOY. I just want them all to be happy already sheesh. 
> 
> Anywhooooo, next chapter will start things off moving faster, since three chapter per day is gonna turn this thing into a full on novel. Which would probably be cool, but I'm as impatient as Alexander, so whatever. 
> 
> ALSO I should probably get an estimate of how many chapters this will be by next update. All in all, we'll probably get this thing done in June, maybe even July. We'll see, we'll see.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron does some poem things and Alexander continues to mess everything up (sorta).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY Y'ALL. I want to give a very sincere thanks for all of the subs and kudos. It gives me the happiest fuzzy feelings in the world, and it makes this all soon much more worth it. You mean so much to me <3
> 
> On that thankful note, I wanted to let you know that my commissions for one shots are now 100% FREE. 
> 
> For quick requests (less detail), go here: https://alttroubwritessome.tumblr.com/ask  
> For longer requests (more detail), go here: https://alttroub.typeform.com/to/kHTqiu
> 
> If the request is a fanfic, I'll go ahead and post it on here and my tumblr in addition to sending it to you, and credit you for the idea. If it's an original sort of thing, I'll put it just on my tumblr page and credit you for the idea. I really hope you guys request some stuff! TAKE ADVANTAGE OF MY WRITINGSSSS.
> 
> Okay, let's get back to the feelios.

Aaron had arrived at school earlier than usual due to Mr. Schuyler’s morning meeting in the city. He was, in all honesty (and contrary to his grumblings to the Schuyler sisters), glad to be there early. Mornings were filled with the crisp air of early fall, the mellifluous lilt of the birds, and the whistle of the wind. He enjoyed the solitude, the fact that his only companions were his books and his thoughts.

Now, he was stationed at a concrete table beneath a stout tree. There were few times when blank papers called to him, wanting for words, but this was one of them. He wrote poetry. Not often, and they were generally very short and, in his honest opinion, not very good, but he wrote nonetheless. It didn’t feel like a choice. He was mid-thought, pen blotting the paper and eyes closed, when an emphatic shout sliced through the peace of the morning.

“Aaron Burr!” Alexander. Of course it was Alexander. Who else would it be besides Alexander? Dear lord, there was no escape. Aaron opened his eyes slowly and turned to look at the boy.

“Alexander,” he acknowledged, his voice smooth and unfeeling. Alexander wrinkled his nose at the tone.

“You didn’t respond last night,” he pouted, sliding onto the bench across from Aaron. His eyes were sunken in, puffy purple bags hanging low below them.

“Did you even sleep?” Aaron asked before he could stop himself.

“No, no, of course not! There was far too much to be done, too many plans to go over, too many loose—“

“Slow down,” Aaron instructed calmly. “You need to sleep. We still have an hour before classes. Just take a quick nap.”

“But,” Alexander began, frowning. He trailed off, looking down at the table pensively. Aaron could practically hear the thoughts rushing through the other boy’s mind. It was tiring to even look at him. “Okay. Okay, fine. But I’m trusting you to sit here the whole time.” Aaron opened his mouth to agree, but Alexander silenced him with the next sentence: “And I expect to see the finished product of the poem you’re working on.” With that, Alexander shed his jacket, crumpled it up on the table between them, and lay his head down.

Aaron stared at him for a long moment, trying to process the short conversation that had taken place in what felt like a blur. Had they even spoken? Was any of that actually happening? It felt like Aaron had been talking to some fictional character, some creation of his mind rather than an actual being. He shook his head and refocused on his poem. The poem that Alexander was expecting to see in an hour. The poem that Alexander had somehow glimpsed in that thirty second conversation. The poem that Aaron had completely lost in his mind as soon as Alexander had called to him. With a sigh, Aaron closed his eyes again and searched for the thoughts he had lost. Once he found them, after a very arduous hunt, he began to write again.

The hour flew by faster than Aaron had anticipated. Soon, more students were trudging through the halls and the sweet sounds of nature faded as the hustle and bustle grew louder. Alexander, like clockwork, lifted his head and gave a groggy yawn before watching Aaron with those inquisitive and excited eyes. Aaron looked back at him, keeping his expression blank. Alexander waggled his eyebrows, looking down at the poem and then back up at Aaron.

Aaron did his best to remain firm, he really did, but Alexander had this gift for making people do whatever he wanted. So, with a sigh, Aaron found himself pushing the paper across the table for Alexander to read. Before he could see Alexander’s reaction, Aaron stood and gathered his books.

“Wait, wait, Aaron” Alexander commanded, refusing to tear his eyes from the poem, “where are you going?”

“Homeroom. I have things to catch up on,” Aaron lied. He was not going to admit his self-consciousness to anyone, especially not Alexander, the kid who seemed to have more confidence that the whole world combined.

Alexander finally looked at Aaron, frowning momentarily before nodding and returning to the poem.

Later, as Alexander walked into their homeroom, Aaron couldn’t help but look up at him curiously. Alexander made eye contact with him, a smile emerging on his lips as he held up the paper with the poem, but Laurens was soon between them, ushering Alexander to their group, where he remained throughout the classes that followed.

~~~

The week continued without many conversations between Alexander and Aaron, a fact that Aaron did his best to not care about. There were moments when they would cross paths, their eyes connecting for a moment before someone—usually Laurens and the gang—would interrupt and Aaron would go his separate way.

In the mean time, Alexander made quite a name for himself. Aaron watched passively as he found a way into the school paper, as he published a controversial article highlighting the LGBT community at both the boys’ and girls’ schools. He heard from Eliza that Alexander had begun making speeches in Town Square near daily. He watched as he found favor with Mr. Washington, who took a great interest in the article and the proposed GSA. He watched and he kept his distance and he stayed away.

It was for the best, or at least that’s what Aaron continued to tell himself. He had to avoid the drama. He had to let Eliza have him. He had to keep his mind focused on himself and the path he had been on for years. Aaron didn’t dare to consider any alternative, the weight of his grandfather’s judgments and his parents’ reputation lingering over his head.

It wasn’t until late Friday night, as Aaron was sliding into bed, that he received any response to the poem.

Alexander: _That poem was gorgeous, Burr. Send me anything and everything else you’ve ever written/are writing/will write. Mmkaaaaaaay?_

Aaron blushed at his phone, dumbfounded. He had never shared his poems with anyone except maybe an English teacher, but only because she required participation in a poetry project for a grade. And then here, Alexander—Alexander of his lauded prose and already hefty reputation—was telling him that his writing was “gorgeous.”

“Aaron,” his grandfather called from downstairs. “It’s late. You should be asleep.” Just like that, Aaron was yanked from that new world that Alexander seemed to pull him into.

“Yes, sir,” Aaron respond. “I’m turning the light out now.”

The room fell into darkness, but Aaron continued to sit up in bed. He felt heavy. It was not a new feeling, although Alexander seemed to intensify it. It was the burden of the decisions that Alexander constantly placed in front of him, decisions that had the potential to wreck all of the things Aaron—or, perhaps, his family and, by mere extension, him—stood for. And yet…

And yet Aaron felt more and more inclined to indulge in such decisions, because he was tired of trying to figure out which decisions would earn him the least judgment. Maybe he wanted some judgment. After all, Alexander was doing quite well while operating without a care in the world about what people think.

Aaron: _You’ve got to earn them._

Aaron was surprised he had the guts to type anything remotely like that, let alone actually hit send. Immediately, he felt the hollow sensation of regret in his stomach. His thoughts began racing, hitting upon every person that would hate him for what he was teasing at and—

Alexander: _Haha very well, I suppose that’s fair. How about I start by taking you out to lunch this weekend? That should earn me at least one more poem ;)_

Every nerve in Aaron’s body was lit ablaze at that text. If his heart hadn’t been pounding before, it sure as hell was now. Every voice in his mind—those of Peggy, Angelica, Eliza, his grandfather, and even his parents—screamed a resounding “no” to him. He found himself typing nonetheless.

Aaron: _Sounds like a fair trade. Let’s do tomorrow._

Alexander: _Tomorrow sounds perfect. I would try to hammer out more details with you, but I know it’s past your bedtime ;P_

Alexander: _G’night, Burr_ :)

Aaron set his phone down and stared ahead at the wall in front of him. His eyes were still adjusting to the room, now completely shrouded in darkness as his phone dimmed. He suddenly felt very sick.

“What am I doing?” he whispered to the night. The silence was deafening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haaaaaaaaaaaaa I'm sorry. That was sad. Yay for progress! But also sad!burr is sad and I want him to be happy. 
> 
> ALSO sorry for not actually knowing how many chapters of this I'm going to do yet. That's my plan for tomorrow, figuring all that out. Well, that and planning out an original revolutionary war type story (hm, I wonder where that totally random time period and location came from?????). SO SOON, I HOPE.
> 
> With that, I will probably be leaving you until Sunday or Monday because I have many a thing going on, and while I mostly would rather be writing, I have to actually be a social human being. Boo.
> 
> BYE!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eyyyyyy longer update than usual! I usually do three pages on my word processor, but this one is a whole five! Updates will probably start being about this length from now on. Also, like I said, they're probably going to start moving faster time wise. This one takes place over the course of one day, but the next chapter or two will probably go way faster.
> 
> ALSO let us notice that I finally put a chapter count up here. I put 15, because that's sort of how I envisioned it, BUT that's subject to change, so we'll see. 
> 
> FRIENDLY REMINDER that my one-shot commissions are still open for freebie. No strings attached, my friends. Take advantaaaage!!
> 
> OKAY, go read now.

“G-grandfather?”

Aaron’s grandfather looked up from the toast he was buttering. His stern eyes were cloudy with drowsiness, but remained frightening to Aaron. This was enough of a response, no verbal acknowledgement necessary.

“May I go to lunch with a friend?” Aaron willed his voice not to waver and felt incredibly accomplished when it didn’t. His grandfather narrowed his eyes.

“You should know this by now, Aaron. You are not allowed to date.”

“No!” Aaron toned his voice down after the expression that flashed on his grandfather’s face. “I know, sir, but it is not a date. It is a… a peer. From school.”

“Ah.” There was a lengthy silence as his grandfather returned to his toast, considering. Aaron tapped his foot beneath the table, but wouldn’t allow himself to break his composure. This was a cold war; he could not falter first. “Which peer?”

“His name is Alexander Hamilton.” Aaron couldn’t hide the smile the tugged at his lips at the mention of the boy. He was having a harder time denying his feelings than he wanted to admit. His grandfather made a disappointed grimace.

“His family is not part of the congregation.”

There are moments that seem to move in slow motion, that seem to be presented so fortuitously that it becomes nearly impossible to deny fate. This was one of those moments.

“He’s new. I’m actually meeting with him to tell him more about the church.” The lie was far too good to pass up. Not only would he get to hang out with Alex without much questioning, he would also win some brownie points with his grandfather. He wanted to pat himself on the back. He half expected to be presented some award. Perhaps his grandfather’s subdued smile and the next words he uttered were it.

“I’m so proud of you, Aaron.” A pang of guilt ran through Aaron, briefly inhibiting the sense of accomplishment he was feeling. “Please try not to be out too late.”

“Of course not, sir.”

“Very good. Now…”

With that, his grandfather began to discuss various congregational matters, the subject of Aaron’s lunch date dropped. Aaron continued to follow along with the conversation, but his heart was still racing. It couldn’t have been that easy, could it?

Apparently, it could.

Aaron found himself changing into the same purple button down that Alexander had complemented just before noon. He kept looking in the mirror and shaking his head at himself, trying to figure out what the hell he was thinking. It seemed that Alexander was a psychic, because just as Aaron was about to cancel, he texted him that he was right outside.

Aaron hazarded a peek out the window. Alexander was leaning against a tree across the street, hands tucked into his pants pocket. He looked up at Aaron and the grin he gave nearly made Aaron swoon. Aaron jogged downstairs, called a quick goodbye to his grandfather, and was out the door in seconds.

“Aaron Burr,” Alexander called, walking towards him.

“Alexander,” Aaron nodded, doing his best to remain cool under Alexander’s appraising gaze. “Where are we headed?”

“Into the city.” The two began heading out of the suburbs. “There’s an amazing Mexican restaurant there that Mulligan introduced me to the other day. Mexican is probably my favorite type of food. But then there’s Chinese, and, oh jeez, Lafayette would kill me if I didn’t mention French and—“ Alexander paused and let out a small sigh. “I’m rambling, aren’t I?”

“Just a little,” Aaron smirked. He was starting to find the habit endearing.

“I’m sorry.” Alexander blushed and Aaron nearly tripped. “Oh shit! Are you alright, Burr?”

“Fine, totally fine.” Yeah, that whole idea of keeping cool was definitely not holding up. Alexander placing a hand on Aaron’s arm to steady him wasn’t helping either. “I like Mexican food.”

“Good!” Alexander grinned again. That grin was utterly contagious as Aaron found himself nearly mirroring it, which elicited a gasp from the lips in question. Aaron raised his eyebrows. “You’re smiling! I think that may be the first smile I’ve seen you with!”

“I mean, you haven’t known me that long,” Aaron defended with a frown.

“First of all, stop frowning.” Aaron gave Alexander a fake grin and Alexander laughed at that. “Secondly, not smiling once in a whole week is probably not a good sign.”

“I don’t know, there’s just not a lot to smile about,” Aaron explained, but paused a second later. “Okay, that sounded way sadder than I meant.”

“No, no, I know what you mean.” Alexander’s smile turned serious for a moment, but gained its gleam a second later. “Just means I’ll have to give you more reasons to smile.” Aaron blushed at that, which seemed to make Alexander smile even wider (Aaron didn’t know that was possible).

 

~~~

 

Alexander led Aaron through a side of the city that he had never experienced—“experienced” is probably the best word, because it feels like Aaron is walking through a new country—before. It’s vibrant and alive and—and _happy_. The whole place feels happy in such an infectious way that Aaron cannot help but grin. This was more freedom—to be himself, to let go, or even just to laugh—than he was used to. He could stay here forever, especially if Alexander stayed with him.

Speaking of Alexander, the boy looked absolutely at home. There was music in the streets, emanating from some window, and he was singing and dancing along as they walked. He stopped suddenly, and grabbed Aaron’s wrists.

“What are—Alexander Hamilton!” Alexander had begun moving Aaron’s arms, trying to spread the dancing fever. They were standing in the middle of the sidewalk and people were most definitely looking at them, but… But that grin! Alexander’s bright grin was enough to get Aaron—Aaron of the “talk less, smile more” logic, of the no self-expression rule—to dance along. Alexander laughed and Aaron laughed and it was the kind of moment that Aaron wanted to save for rainy days.

By the time they finally stumbled into the restaurant they were breathless from dancing and laughing. They sat in silence for a while, but it was a different silence than Aaron was used to. Around his grandfather, it was utterly uncomfortable, and he usually spent the time avoiding sudden movements. Around the Schuylers, it was more of not wanting to intrude. They all had a rhythm down and Aaron felt like such an outsider.

But now? Well, now Aaron was enjoying the silence. He was enjoying watching Alexander pile salsa-loaded chips into his mouth. He was enjoying the occasional moments when their eyes caught and they both quickly looked away. Most of all, he was enjoying the time out of his head.

“If you don’t eat some of this salsa, I’m not going to have any room for actual food,” Alexander scolded, immediately following the statement up by crunching into another chip.

“Is it spicy?” Aaron cautioned with a smirk.

“It’s salsa,” Alexander responded, as if it were the most ridiculous question he’d ever heard.

“There’re different levels of spiciness!” Aaron was laughing now.

“Okay well, this is, like, a five. You won’t burn to death, but it’s also not bland and yucky.” Alexander was laughing too. It was starting to look like they couldn’t have a civilized conversation without laughter and sarcasm.

Aaron shot Alexander a scrutinizing look before dipping into the salsa with a chip. It was good. Scratch that, it was _heavenly_. Aaron knew that his trips into the city were few and far between (and forbidden), but, dear lord, he was going to be coming here way more often. In fact, he needed to befriend Mulligan so that he could discover even more fantastic joints.

“Good, right?” Alexander asked, a mischievous glint in his eye.

“Very,” Aaron answered as he shoved another chip into his mouth.

“So, good date spot?” At that, Aaron began choking. Alexander gave him a moment, his smile only growing wider at Aaron’s definite shock.

“Pardon?” Aaron coughed, his voice quivering.

“I said”—and here Alexander leaned forward—“do you think this is a good date spot?”

“I—Well—See—I probably wouldn’t know. I’m not the person to ask. Honestly, I couldn’t tell a good date spot from a bad date spot from a—a—a—a… well, a horrific one, I suppose. I mean, I like this place a lot and—“

“Burr,” Alexander said calmly, and it seemed as if the roles had somehow reversed. “You should take your own advice.” Aaron tilted his head and raised his eyebrows in a silent question. “Talk less, smile more.”

“Oh.” Aaron looked down at that. He was such a hypocrite. He couldn’t even follow his own advi—

Suddenly, there were lips on his and he was utterly clueless on how to respond because, well, how does one respond to such a surprise? He was still, trying to process exactly what in god’s name was happening. That was Alexander kissing him. He was being kissed by Alexander. There was some kissing going on and he was not mentally prepared for this and—No, no, the lips were moving away and that was _definitely_ not supposed to happen.

When Alexander pulled back, Aaron could see the concern clouding his expression. He was worried. But why? That kiss had been amazing and… Once the fact that Alexander was nervous because he thought Aaron didn’t want the kiss, Aaron knew exactly what to do.

He pulled a page out of Alexander’s book and kissed him. It was sweet and soothing and perfect… until a throat cleared next to them. They pulled away from each other in a hurry and looked over to see the waitress with her hand on her hip and her lips pursed.

“Sorry,” Aaron mumbled, avoiding eye contact as he blushed.

“What can I get you two?” she asked, unfazed.

“Cheese enchiladas for me,” Alexander responded. He was smirking. He looked so proud of himself. How was he being so calm when Aaron was spending all of his energy trying to remember how to speak English?

“I, er… Uhm, the same for me,” he managed. The waitress gave a curt nod and wandered away. Aaron watched her for as long as he could, then began studying the bright interior of the restaurant, essentially looking at anything except Alexander. “I’d say yes,” he finally murmured, barely audible.

“Pardon?” Alexander’s grin was audible. Aaron cleared his throat and regained his composure, meeting Alexander’s eyes.

“I’d say it’s a pretty good date spot.”

Alexander’s face lit up and he opened his mouth to say something, but a waiter interrupted him.

“Aaron,” he drawled. It took Aaron a moment to recognize him, but once he did, he grimaced. Samuel Seabury. “This sort of behavior is to be expected from Alexander, but… Well, I thought better of you, Aaron.”

“Samuel,” Alexander began, and Aaron knew that a whole sermon was about to follow. This was not going to end well.

“Alexander, I’m surprised to find you away from your cronies. You all are absolutely disgusting, if I may say so. And that article the other day… You’re playing a dangerous game. I’m not sure that being here a week really means that you know the place. Nonetheless, you’ll get your just deserts soon enough.” Alexander was fuming at this point. Aaron could almost see the steam coming from his ears.

“Alexander, let him be,” Aaron warned.

“Samuel, my dog speaks more eloquently than you.” There was a pause and Aaron should have expected the litany that followed. “I’m going to tell you something, and you see if your small, close-minded brain can follow along, Sammy. The GSA is going to happen. The LGBT community is alive and well and it is not going anywhere. The disgusting one in this situation is you, because you fail to recognize that not only are we valid and totally normal, but you also seem to forget that variation is the key to survival from an evolutionary perspective. Oh, no, I’m sorry, I forgot that you’re still stuck in the Dark Ages in terms of ignorance.”

“I pray Headmaster Frederick shows you mercy,” Samuel managed, his face read and his voice shaking.

“Has he deigned to come into the city?” Alexander asked, shit-eating grin plastered to his lips.

“For shame,” Samuel gasped, a hand rising to his mouth.

“For the revolution,” Alexander responded with a wink.

“Alexander, please,” Aaron begged.

“Burr, I’d rather be divisive than indecisive. Drop the niceties,” Alexander snapped. Aaron’s eyes went wide. Sure, Alexander was right on some level, but… But that was hurtful. It was almost cruel.

Somewhere in the restaurant, a voice called for Samuel and, thankfully, he left their table. Alexander watched him leave, a proud expression on his face. He turned to Aaron, still looking accomplished, but frowned when he saw Aaron’s expression.

“I’m sorry that you had to deal with that. People like Samuel shouldn’t even exist at this point. I mean, it’s 2016, people, what’s so hard about accepting LGBT people?” Alexander asked.

“It’s not that,” Aaron mumbled. Okay, maybe it was a little bit that. He was thankful that Samuel and his family attended services at a different church; otherwise his grandfather would be at his throat. The whole situation, everything Samuel had said, it wasn’t exactly new to Aaron, but it had never been directed at him before. It had been frightening. But… But it was Alexander’s comment that was tugging at him. “I can understand your tirade against Samuel, because he’s an asshole, but why did you have to turn on me? I was just trying to avoid making a scene.”

“That’s exactly why.” Alexander’s frown deepened. “You should be fighting with us. I know that you can do it. You’re eloquent, you’re intelligent, an amazing writer. I know that you’re not against us, but that’s not the same as being with us, Aaron.” He paused, scrutinizing. “I know that it’s scary. Laurens told me about your grandfather. I’m sorry that you have to deal with that. But that should be all the more reason to stand with us, or to at least stand for something.”

Aaron was silent, studying Alexander with pursed lips. He didn’t want to admit that Alexander had a point because he couldn’t just disrupt the status quo. It was more than he could handle, more than he could dream of taking on.

“I should go,” Aaron finally breathed, tossing some cash on the table to make up for the meal he had ordered. Alexander grabbed his wrist, his eyebrows knitted.

“Please don’t,” he pleaded. “I’m sorry.” Aaron sighed.

“I should have known better than to think this could work,” he murmured and walked away. He didn’t look back.

Suddenly, the city streets didn’t feel so happy anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WELL THAT COULD HAVE GONE BETTER. Poor babes, they need to get their lives together.
> 
> Thanks to all of you who have kudos'ed and commented already, you make my day. Please continue!! I love seeing what you all think and I'd be happy to answer questions and ALL OF THAT. It seriously warms my heart when I get emails about comments and kudos <3
> 
> Next update will probably be later this week!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some sad, some mad, some glad. It's an emotional rollercoaster, y'all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FIRSTLY, thank you all for the support you've given so far. You're all fantastic people.
> 
> NOW I have a little warning. The first part of this chapter has a pretty explicit description of anxiety feelings and a panic attack. SO if that's not something you want to read, then you can skip to the section after the first ~~~. Here's what happens if you want to know (if you want to read it, I'd recommend skipping to the next thing on the list here): Aaron does a lot of work, goes to mass, has a panic attack that deals with feelings of being a disappointment to his family for his sexuality. 
> 
> OKAY so this chapter has a lot of skipping around in it. Like I said, it moves much faster than past ones have. It's also looking like I may have overestimated chapters? So it might be more like 10 chapters. I'm not going to change it for a while, because I might change my mind. We'll see. 
> 
> ALRIGHT GO ENJOY!

The days passed by like molasses after that. Aaron spent what he could of his weekend in his room, reading and working on homework. When he sped through his new books, he read the old; when he finished his homework, he skipped forward in the syllabus. He threw himself into anything except his mind.

And when that failed, he threw himself into bed.

He could feel his heart beating faster than it should. He could feel his thoughts looping through his head. He could feel that pit in his stomach. He knew what was coming, and he didn’t like it. Panic attack. It was a slow, but Aaron could feel it building.

All he had left to do was wait for it.

So, when Sunday morning dawned, he dragged himself from the bed, dressed in his Sunday best, and went to church with his grandfather. He sat in the pews, half listening to his grandfather’s sermon, half listening to the beat of his heart in his throat and the nagging of his thoughts.

They seemed to be growing in volume. They asked him why he would even start to get involved with Alexander. They asked why he thought it would be a good idea to fall in with that kind of boy, with any boy for that matter. They asked why he was like this. They asked why he couldn’t just fall in love with some nice girl and forget about the whole thing. He shut his eyes and focused on his breathing, willing the panic attack that was creeping on the edge of his consciousness to go away, just for an hour or so. He just needed to be alone.

He sent a silent prayer of thanks when he felt it subside.

It wasn’t until Aaron was finally alone in his room after church that he felt the thoughts cycling again, screaming at him, reminding him of how much of a failure and disappointment he had to be. He felt his breath catch in his throat and leaned against a wall as he struggled to remember exactly how to breathe. He slid down to the floor, tears crowding at the edge of his vision. He grabbed blindly for the blanket he kept atop his bed: a white baby blanket with soft satin edges that his mother had sewn for him before she passed. He pulled it to his chest, squeezing it with one hand and rubbing the edges with the other.

The panic attack slowly diminished, but Aaron knew that it would take a long while before he stopped feeling the physical effects. He still didn’t know when the emotional effects would wear off. He stayed on the floor, clutching the old blanket and sniffling as the tears continued to flow, for another hour before he dozed off.

He awoke only to eat dinner with his grandfather and take a quick shower before crawling into his bed and letting sleep take him away. He almost wished it wouldn’t let him go.

 

~~~

 

Aaron was thankful that the week passed without another word from Alexander. Sure, they saw each other in homeroom, but neither did anything more than see. He… Well, he missed Alexander. A lot. More than he should. But being with Alexander was more complicated than simply _being_ with Alexander; he would have to sign on to the movement that Alexander was spearheading, and that meant disregarding everything that his grandfather currently believed in and his parents stood for before they passed. Aaron didn’t have to agree with them, but he wasn’t going to dishonor them.

So, when Peggy texted him a week later about Alexander and Eliza going on a date, he knew that he should have been happy. But he wasn’t. How could he be? He still felt everything he had before for Alexander, despite the outburst from their date. And, well, it had only been a week! Alexander sure moved fast… But Aaron shouldn’t even be considering any of this at all.

He should have been even less surprised when, the week after that, he saw Alexander and Laurens kiss just outside of homeroom. The exchange had been… well, soul-crushingly embarrassing isn’t a strong enough term. Of course they had broken away just as Aaron was walking by and of course he and Alexander had made some very distinct eye contact before Aaron put his head down and nearly sprinted to his desk. He knew that the awkward feelings that he felt were normal, but he knew that he shouldn’t have been as fazed by it. He pushed the feeling down and put his nose back in his book where it belonged.

 

~~~

 

It was not until a month after the date from hell that he and Alexander spoke to each other again.

“Hey, uh, Aaron,” a nervous voice managed from beside Aaron. Alexander. Aaron turned and gave him the best I-could-care-less-about-your-dating-life-because-I’m-definitely-not-head-over-heels-for-you expression he could. It was miserable. “We’ve made a lot of progress with the GSA so far, and we even have a hearing with Headmaster Frederick next week.”

“That’s great to hear, Hamilton,” Aaron answered, his faint smile forced.

“Yeah, it is. But, well… Mr. Washington would really like you to help,” Alexander stuttered. Aaron began shaking his head, opening his mouth to protest, but he continued. “You would make such a difference. You’re the son of a preacher, you have the kind of influence we need in this.”

“Oh.” Aaron frowned.

“But we need you even apart form that. You’re an amazing writer, I’ve told you this before. And I’ve heard your speaking skills in the APUSH debates. You’re wonderful. I can’t—The class can’t take their eyes off of you. We can’t do this without you, Aaron. We need you.” Alexander hesitated a moment, looking down at the ground, before he continued and looked at Aaron with eyes that saw to the soul. “I need you.”

Aaron studied Alexander. His expression was overwhelmingly genuine—his hallmark—but he looked… different. His eyes were sunken back, his cheeks were thinner. He didn’t look well.

“Have you been sleeping? Eating?” Aaron asked instead. Alexander averted his eyes, guilty.

“Not often, no,” he murmured. “It’s… This movement is too important. If I take time away to sleep or eat, then that’s time I could have been working. I can’t stop, Aaron. If I stop, we don’t get this. It’s bigger than I am. I can’t stop, Aaron. I can’t—“

“Shh,” Aaron soothed. Before he knew was he was doing, he had his hand on Alexander’s cheek, making circles with his thumb. Alexander looked up, shock evident, and nodded. “You can stop, Alexander. This crusade of yours needs you desperately, and sacrificing your health isn’t helping it. You just need a break.” Alexander hesitated a moment, considering Aaron’s words.

“You’re right.” His voice was solemn, set. “See, this is why we need you. You’re levelheaded in a way that I just don’t know how to be.” He paused and frowned. “You were right, the other day. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I was… I was waging a war that didn’t need to happen. I should have listened to you. I’m sorry.” Aaron opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again. Alexander had apologized. He had admitted that he was wrong. That was… unexpected.

“That’s okay,” he finally said. He took a moment to think before he continued. “You had a point, too, though.” Alexander’s eyebrows shot up. Aaron smiled faintly. “Yes, I admit it. This… This movement is important. I recognize that. But, I don’t think I can do it, Alexander.”

“You could. You should.”

“I know that I should,” Aaron sighed. “I know that what you’re doing is good and that I should be doing it too. I want to help. But if I do, I’ll make my family the laughing stock of the town. My grandfather… I admit that I’m afraid of how he would respond to the situation, but I’m more afraid of the shame it will cause him.”

Alexander nodded slowly, surprisingly silent. “Just think it over, Aaron. The hearing with the headmaster is next Wednesday. I hope to see you there.” He smiled and Aaron didn’t even try to push away the feelings that kicked up inside of him. “I’d still like to earn some of those poems.”

“Oh yeah?” Aaron asked sharply, a bitter smile on his face. “What about Eliza or John? I’m sure what you’re earning from them should be enough to hold you over.”

Alexander’s eyes widened, sadness and—could it be?—fear clouding his expression. He opened his mouth to protest, but the bell rang and Aaron left before anything more could be said. Joining up with this GSA plan was one thing to ask, but trying to cover up his romantic endeavors? Aaron was not falling for that. Granted, his heart had skipped it beat and he felt butterflies when the proposition was suggested, but Aaron had to be logical. He frowned to himself. Logic never seemed to be on his side.

 

~~~

 

Alexander: _Aaron, we should talk._

Aaron was in the car with his grandfather when he received the text. If Alexander’s wandering eye (not that they were a couple, but still) wasn’t enough to stop Aaron from texting back, the presence of his preacher grandfather was more than enough.

“How have things been going with the Hamilton boy?” his grandfather asked, and Aaron had to bite his tongue to keep from yelping.

“Ah… It’s slow going.” It wasn’t a total lie. “He’s very difficult to get through to. Quite stubborn, actually.”

“Oh? Well, you could always invite him for dinner with us.” Aaron could feel a chorus of “no” sounding in his mind at that. “The two of us together are probably more persuasive than just one of us.”

“That’s true. I, uhm… I’ll text him about it,” he lied again. He pulled his phone out and took the opportunity to respond to Alexander (screw logic).

Aaron: _Nothing to talk about, Hamilton. Maybe try Lafayette, I don’t think you’ve dated him yet._

Well… it was angrier than he had meant to make it, but Aaron felt like he deserved to play the scorned lover. Even though it had just been one date. Over a month ago. That Aaron had walked out of.

“Hopefully that will get him,” his grandfather commented and, wow, that timing was getting insane.

“Fingers crossed,” Aaron managed as the car pulled into the driveway.

Alexander: _Aaron, please. If you would just let me explain, I can promise that it’s not at all what you think._

Aaron was in the middle of drafting a response (in other words, typing three letters, deleting them, and repeating the cycle) when he bumped into a person. His grandfather had been behind him. Aaron looked up and gasped when he saw who it was.

“Hey, little bro,” Sally Burr smiled, nonchalant as ever.

“Sally! What are you doing here?” Aaron asked, excitement causing him to forget his situation with Alexander immediately.

“Yes, Sarah,” his grandfather chimed in, using her real name, his voice tight and tense. “I am surprised to find you here.”

“Relax, gramps,” she answered, strutting to the couch and taking a seat. Aaron followed her like a puppy. “There’s an autumn break back at Litchfield, so I figured I’d come visit my favorite little brother.”

“Ah.” Their grandfather took a seat across from them, his eyes narrowed at Sally. “Well, we simply are not prepared to have you here. Your old room is—“

“I know, I saw. That’s alright, the couch works for me,” she countered. Every conversation between them was like this. It was a hidden war, their eyes shooting daggers and their words hiding cannonballs. Aaron watched silently, rooting for his sister. He hadn’t seen or heard from her for nearly six years, and he desperately wanted time with her.

“You’ll need to contribute to the house if you are to stay here. You were never much for cooking before you left so—“

“There’s dinner on the stove right now. Finished up just as you got home.”

“Great. I hope you haven’t forgotten—“

“The dishes? Yes, all washed and put away.”

“Ah, so you remembered.” He was searching for something else, Aaron could see it, but there was nothing more. He sighed and nodded his head slowly. “I’m so pleased to have you with us, Sarah.”

“Likewise, sir,” Sally responded, but it was obvious that neither meant it. “Dinner?”

This was going to be fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haaaaaaa that was another sad chapter oops. But hey! We met Sarah "Sally" Burr, the black sheep of the fam! She's gonna be an importante character, my friends. 
> 
> NEXT CHAPTER get ready for some happy. Probably. That's the plan.
> 
> HOPEFULLY I can get it up here this weekend, or at least on Monday.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Have it all, lose it all. You ready for more yet?
> 
> Alexander's point of view.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! As teased on tumblr yesterday, this chapter is from a different perspective: Alexander's! As the story moves forward, Aaron will remain the main POV, but I might add another chapter or two that are from a different perspective (not necessarily Alexander's). 
> 
> Thanks again for the comments and kudos and subs and bookmarks and all the love! I'll probably be able to keep up pretty quick posting for the rest of the piece, BUT I do have an internship and a possible job and two summer classes going on starting in June, SO fun times. HOPEFULLY it'll keep up.

Alexander stared down at the text he had sent to Aaron more than a few hours ago. It was late evening, just after nine, and there was still no response. Alexander clenched his jaw, anger at himself boiling from within. He was sitting on the edge of his unmade bed in his tiny dark room in the tiny dark apartment. He could feel the onset of something stupid. He was about to make a decision that he was going to regret.

What else was new?

It wasn’t difficult to get out the apartment; his caretaker—currently his sulking cousin—didn’t exhibit much care about his whereabouts. Alexander would have been sad about that if he weren’t the type come and go at all hours. So, he left and picked his way through the city streets until he arrived at Mulligan’s.

“Alexander. What’s up?” he asked with a wide grin.

“Nothing, nothing, I just need a ride into the suburbs. I mean, I could walk there, but—“

“Nope, let me grab my keys.”

“I’d marry you if you liked guys.” Alexander had lucked out with the group of guys he called his friends now. They were overwhelmingly loyal, utterly kind, so intelligent, simply perfect.

“So,” Mulligan began once they were in the car, “why are we going to the suburbs?”

“Visiting a friend. I need to, ah, explain things to Aaron.” There was no point in hiding his intentions, and no reason. Mulligan—and Laurens and Lafayette for that matter—had not judged him once, despite the many, many opportunities Alexander had given them.

“Are we picking up Laurens or Lafayette?” was all Mulligan asked, cool as ever.

“No, no. I need to approach this situation lightly, tactfully.” Mulligan chuckled at that and Alexander crossed his arms. “I can be tactful, Hercules J. Mulligan.”

“For one, I don’t even have a middle name. For two, I have my doubts.” He paused, growing more serious. “I think it’ll be fine, though, Alexander. He likes you. It’s plain to see. I think the problem here is the pressure he feels.” Alexander nodded in silence for a moment before letting out a feeble laugh.

“Mulligan, you are far too sage to a be a junior in high school.”

“Alexander, you are far too passionate to be a junior in high school.”

“Looks like we both have old souls,” Alexander grinned. Everyone handles stressful situations differently; Alexander was a joker. He was thankful that Mulligan was playing along. They spent the rest of the ride talking about nothing in particular. Alexander’s heart continued to beat out of his chest.

All too soon, they arrived on Plum Street, or as the boys liked to call it while they teased Alexander, Aaron Avenue. Mulligan and Alexander sat in silence for a few minutes, the car still running. Alexander simply stared at the two story house. He was courageous in every situation he could think of. He was fighting against odds in and out of school, he fought his way to this place, and he was ready for more fights. But with Aaron, he didn’t want a fight. With Aaron, he forgot his courage.

“Okay,” he finally sighed, “I’m going in.”

“Good luck.” Mulligan clapped a hand on Alexander’s shoulder before turning off the car. Alexander gave a short nod before leaving and jogging across to the house. He didn’t want to knock on the door, but he didn’t see much of a choice… until he glanced up to see Aaron pass in front of an upstairs window, which just so happened to be next to a very climbable tree.

“Stupid decision, here I come,” Alexander whispered as he began climbing. If he was honest with himself, which he tended to avoid, he would admit that he was scared about losing Aaron. Sure, he made it out like Aaron was intrinsic to the cause, which he was, but Alexander’s interest extended further than that. He had been utterly heartbroken when Aaron had left their date. And when Aaron asked about Eliza and Laurens? Alexander was so shocked by what he must have been putting Aaron through that he hadn’t been able to explain. For once, Aaron was wrong.

By the time Alexander reached the window, Aaron was in bed, reading. His door was closed and his lights were dimmed. Alexander took a moment to take in the room in front of him. It had white paint with a burgundy trim, was painfully organized and clean, and was absolutely perfect for Aaron. Panic started to grip Alexander, so he tapped on the window before his courage (AKA adrenaline) faded.

Aaron jumped in bed and whipped his head to the window. His surprised features only intensified when he saw Alexander. Alexander waved. What else could he do? Aaron closed his eyes and put two fingers to his temples, shaking his head. Alexander waited with bated breath. Time seemed to move slower. Finally, Aaron opened the window. Alexander made a move to come inside, but Aaron held up a hand to stop him.

“What the _fuck_ are you doing here?” Aaron asked, and Alexander almost fell. Aaron didn’t swear. Aaron had only sworn once, and it was just talking about Samuel Seabury. Alexander’s stomach churned. It was worse than he had anticipated.

“Aaron, I need to explain things to you,” he begged with a frown. “You don’t understand—“

“Oh, believe me, Hamilton, I understand,” Aaron spat, crossing his arms. “I understand full well that I was just a game to you, still am. I get that Eliza and Laurens are just the same to you. You don’t care about anything except your social justice causes, and you don’t care who the fuck you hurt in the process.”

“That’s not—“ Alexander began, his voice rising, but Aaron cut him off again.

“You know damn well that it’s true, Hamilton.”

“Aaron, let me explain, it’s not what you think,” Alexander pleaded. Aaron considered, silent, and that alone would have been enough to earn a litany of thanks from Alexander.

“Fine,” he responded curtly after some time.

“Do you think I could come in?” Alexander tested. “I may be called Tomcat, but I’m not nearly as balanced as you may think.”

“I’ve noticed,” Aaron commented under his breath, but moved aside nonetheless. Alexander slid into the room, already trying to formulate the explanation in his mind. “So? Speak.”

“Right,” Alexander began. “First, Eliza. When I saw you and the Schuyler sisters in the Town Square a few weeks ago, I asked for your number. _Your_ number, not Eliza’s. At first, I was just going to politely let her down, but I decided to… Well, I’m not proud of it, but I decided to befriend her to find out more about you.” Alexander paused and smiled to himself. “Turns out, Eliza isn’t the sweet and submissive girl that I thought her to be.

“She knew exactly what I was going for, and she supported it wholeheartedly. She figured out a while ago that you’re not totally straight, but she wanted to give you space. She thought that you and I would be a great match. Her and I started hanging out, but it was nothing more than that.”

“Your texts to her, though… They were very flirtatious,” Aaron countered, moving to take a seat on his bed. It was clear that his anger had turned into confusion and something else that Alexander couldn’t put his finger on.

“I know this isn’t going to sound the best, but I’m being completely honest: I’m just like that. I flirt with my friends, but that’s the thing. Eliza is _just_ a friend. That’s all. You can ask her. I _promise_.”

Aaron hadn’t made eye contact since Alexander mentioned Eliza knowing that he was gay (or maybe bi? Alexander still didn’t know; it didn’t matter to him). He was silent for a long time, his expression inscrutable. Alexander had begun pacing without realizing and continued to do so as he waited for a response. Several minutes passed before Aaron spoke.

“And Laurens?” he asked feebly, his head hanging low.

“It’s a similar story, but… but I fear you’ll like it even less.” Alexander had to pause, trying to find the correct words. “Laurens and I… We’re not romantically involved, but we do have a friendship that is different than that of Eliza and I. He and I are friends with benefits. Or we were. It was a short thing and that day that you saw us kiss, that was the last of it. He told me he had developed feelings for me and I just didn’t feel the same.” He paused again and stopped pacing, kneeling in front of Aaron. “I know that you and I weren’t together but… but I still feel guilty about it. It is something that, while not technically wrong, I should not have done. I’m sorry, Aaron.”

The silence that followed was uncomfortable, and if Alexander hadn’t been hopeless for Aaron, he would have left immediately. He didn’t do well with conversations like these. He cursed himself internally at that thought; he should have been focused on Aaron and how Aaron’s feeling.

The boy in question was covering his face with his hands now. His breathing was heavy. Alexander wanted to reach out to comfort him, but thought better of it. He needed to give Aaron space. He stood, walked to Aaron’s desk on the other side of the room, and took a seat. He pulled a book from the shelf at random and began to read.

The room remained silent and still for nearly an hour.

Eventually, Aaron let out a long breath and sat up. Alexander lowered the book he had been reading and watched carefully. He dare not make a noise.

Aaron scooted back onto his bed, pulling his knees to his chest, and looked at Alexander. Nothing happened for a few moments. If Alexander had been nervous before, he was petrified now. He did his best to remain cool.

“That’s my favorite book,” Aaron whispered. Alexander flipped the book so he could see the cover (Good Omens), then looked back up at Aaron with a faint smile.

“It’s amazing so far,” Alexander responded, his voice crackly and dry from the prolonged silence. “I might have to steal it from you.”

“Definitely not,” Aaron answered, but a smile tugged at his lips. “My books are precious to me.” Alexander hummed in agreement. A small silence ensued as Alexander waited for him to continue.

“I will admit,” Aaron began slowly and with some hesitation, “that I made some assumptions about the nature of your relationships with Eliza and John. I do not know you for a liar, Alexander. I believe you. But… Well, you have to understand what I’m going through here.

“This conversation, this whole situation, is more complicated than just you and I both being single and… and having feelings for each other. First and foremost, being romantically involved with anyone, let alone another boy, would set my grandfather off on a nuclear level if he ever got wind of it. I wouldn’t be surprised if he disowned me. I’m not over exaggerating.”

“Aaron,” Alexander said softly, but Aaron shook his head.

“Please, Alexander, let me finish,” he answered. He took a moment before continuing. “Secondly, being with you almost requires me to sign on to the GSA movement. Like you said before, believing in it and fighting for it are two different things, and I don’t think I have the strength to fight for it.

“That brings me to the last of it. Even if I forgot about my grandfather’s views, even if I didn’t care about angering him, there are two people that I can’t disappoint: my parents. They died years ago, when I was young, and… and I’ve been doing my best to maintain their legacy all these years. My sister, Sally, she’s the rebel in this family. She gets to be the black sheep. I can’t do that. I can’t sully my parents’ name like that. I… I hope you understand.”

Alexander looked down at the carpet, his mind reeling. Aaron’s reasons were sound, but… so so sad. Alexander wanted to change that, wanted to free him of all of the responsibilities and pressure that Aaron was facing. He was fighter, and goddammit, he wanted to fight for Aaron. He wouldn’t let go this easily.

“I do understand,” he started carefully, “but what if there was a way to be together. If I could find a way for us, what then?”

“Then we would be living on Mercury?” Aaron scoffed, a bitter smile on his lips. “It’s impossible, Alexander. There’s absolutely no way.”

“Where there’s a will,” Alexander stated with a grin, standing and walking to Aaron, “there’s a way.”

“ _Alexander_ , what are you—“ he asked, but Alexander stopped him with a small, chaste kiss. Aaron looked at him with shock.

“I’ll find a way, Aaron,” he stated, proud. “I’ll find a way. Okay? Can you give me the time to do it?”

“Uh…” Aaron was dumbstruck, disbelief evident. “Sure, I guess. It’s imposs—“

“Shh, shh, don’t jinx it, Burr,” Alexander commanded with a smirk, heading to the window. “I’ll see you in classes, Aaron. And I still want to earn those poems.”

“Alright,” Aaron laughed, and Alexander’s night was made completely worth it. He’d done that. He’d given that poor, sad boy something smile about, and that was all he ever wanted to do.

“Good,” he smiled and slid out into the night. He paused on the tree branch and peeked back in. “Can I just ask you one favor?”

“What now, Alexander?” Aaron asked with a fond smile. Alexander felt his heart melting, but kept it together.

“Can you say it?”

“Say what?”

“You know… Say how you feel about me.” Aaron rolled his eyes.

“You already know that, Alexander.”

“Yeah, I do, but I want to hear you say it.” Aaron squinted at him, but spoke after a moment.

“I’m head over heels for you, Alexander. I can’t get you out of my thoughts.” His features were softer and calmer for a moment, and Alexander wished he had a camera on him.

“I adore you, Aaron Burr,” he smiled. Aaron looked momentarily shocked, but grinned nonetheless. “Sleep well.”

He practically floated back down the tree and to Mulligan, who had dozed off in the car. He had left the house thinking that he was about to ruin everything, but it seemed like it was all going to get better from here. He was going to make sure of that.

“How’d it go?” Mulligan asked groggily, turning the car on again.

“Very well,” Alexander answered, looking at Aaron’s window.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. It’s time for some action.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW whatta rollercoaster, again! Sorry there's no Sally this chapter, but she'll be back next chapter. Ahh! Alexander's got his game face on now, so who KNOWS what's gonna happen. ALSO for those of you missing the Schuyler sisters... they'll be back soon! AND more Lafayette and Laurens soon. BASICALLY EVERYONE IS COMING BACK.
> 
> ...just wait till Jefferson comes into the story...
> 
> Next update will probably be soon again! Let me know in the comments or on tumblr what you think of the perspective shift and who you wanna see in the future ;)))


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IT GETS CRAZY Y'ALL
> 
> AKA Aaron learns a lot
> 
> AKA Sally is a goddess
> 
> AKA Alexander likes to claim other people's work as his own. Sorta.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO UHM I wrote half of this on the same night as the last update, and it took literally all of my willpower to not stay up all night finishing the rest of probably the whole story (yeah, this is why I identify with Alexander a lot...).
> 
> Keep on commenting and messaging me, cause I love it love it love it!! Y'all are amazing. If you wanna tip me, even just a little, then head on over to my patreon (https://www.patreon.com/alternativelytroublesome?ty=h)! 
> 
> ALSO we get a new perspective in two or three chapters (yeah, I'm going past 10 for sure, possibly gonna go to 20) and that will be SUPER FUN. I'm very excited. It's a great character.
> 
> OKAY go read and freak out at the bombshells I'm about to throw at y'all.

Aaron was watching Alexander’s car roll down the road and back into the night, a fond smile still gracing his lips, when he heard his door opened. He leapt away from the window and into bed, his heart skipping a beat. His grandfather, however, was not the person at his door.

“Sally?” he asked, tilting his head. He had almost forgotten that she was back. “What are you doing up?”

“I could ask you the same thing, broski,” she smiled, closing the door behind her, walking to the bed, and taking a seat across from him. Aaron’s heart stopped.

“How long were you there?” he asked quietly. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know the answer.

“A while, Aaron,” she answered, her voice turning serious. Sally was usually a joker, but Aaron could still remember the serious conversations she and him had after their parents’ death.

“Oh,” was all he could manage.

“Look, Aaron, I know that I’ve been gone for a while and that was really shitty of me. I’m your sister. I got so caught up in hating grandfather that I forgot how much I love you.” She paused and smiled. “I love you very, very much.”

“I love you, too, Sally,” Aaron answered quickly. “I don’t blame you for leaving.”

“Thank you,” she said with a sad smile. “I think we should talk about you now, though. It’s obvious that you have a lot on your plate and, well, I want to lessen the load. But I don’t want to push you. You know that I won’t tell another living soul anything that I heard and I hope you know that it changes nothing as far as my feelings towards and perception of you. If you want to talk about it, I’m here, but if you don’t, I respect that.”

Aaron was stunned. He knew that Sally was amazing, but he had had no idea how supportive she could be while giving him the space he may or may not have needed. The only thing he could think to do was hug her.

“Oh,” she responded, a little shocked, but laughed a little and hugged him back. They stayed like that for a while, simply enjoying each other’s company, before Aaron pulled away.

“I want to talk about it,” he declared, and Sally smiled.

“Good. Now, before we even get to talking about this Alexander kid of yours, we need to talk about grandpa and, more importantly, mom and dad.” She took a deep breath and readjusted on the bed. “I heard you talking about the pressure you have to act a certain way, and it wasn’t until then that I realized how small you were when our parents passed away. You didn’t get the chance to know them very well, and I’m sorry for that. But… But there are things you didn’t get to know about them.

“You spent most of your life with grandfather, and so you assumed that mom and dad thought similarly to him. That’s definitely a logical train of thought, but, well, they weren’t like that. You know that dad was the head of the university here and that mom was a professor in English, right? Well, in their spare time, they were advocates for a lot of human rights issues, LGBT rights being one of them. Grandfather disagreed with them on so many counts. They fought constantly. We rarely saw him before they passed away. Once they did, though, he and grandma were the only family that we had left. The household wasn’t as harsh with her around, but she passed away not long after we arrived and, well, you know the story.

“But, Aaron, it is so important for you to understand that our parents would be immensely proud of you for everything that you’ve done. All they would have wanted was for you to be yourself and to do whatever it is that you wanted. And I’m sure that they would have been more than accepting of your sexuality, your character, your actions, all of it.”

At this point, Sally had begun tearing up and Aaron was outright sobbing. He had functioned his whole life with this weight over his head and now he was being told that he didn’t have to. His parents would have wanted him to do all the things he had been so longing to do. The logic of talking less and smiling more, that was his grandfather’s, not his parents’. He would have been devastated by the revelation that his whole life had been based upon a lie if he weren’t so ecstatic because he wouldn’t have to deal with it anymore.

Sally took him in her arms, and they sat in silence for a long while. Nothing had to be said. They both knew what was happening.

“As for grandfather,” Sally murmured, not pulling away from Aaron, “forget about his ideals. He’s been collecting dust for so long now that he can’t see clearly anymore. Do what you want. Be who you want. And if he disowns you, then I’ll buy you an apartment in the city and become your guardian. Mmkay?”

“Really?” Aaron asked, looking up at her. She smiled and nodded. “Sally, I… I can’t thank you enough.”

“You don’t need to thank me at all. Just promise me that you’ll do what you want now. You’re sixteen, going on seventeen, Aaron. Be wild! Be crazy! It’s what teenagers are _supposed_ to do.” She paused for a moment then giggled. “You are sixteen, going on seventeen,” she sang in her best voice, mimicking the movie that they had often watched together as children. Aaron laughed along with her.

“There’s something that dad told me once,” Sally began after some time. “When I was really down, he would say: ‘Sally, you are the one thing in life that you can control. You are inimitable. You are an original.’ It would always make me feel better about things. I always kept that in mind when I was feeling powerless against grandfather, and I’ve cherished it in all of my struggles since. Hold on to that saying. It’ll do you good, too.”

That night, Sally stayed in Aaron’s room. They fell asleep as they did when they were children, and Aaron slept better than he had in what felt like years. His grandfather’s home began to feel warm again.

 

~~~

 

Aaron arrived the next day at school with a new outlook and tired eyes. He had nearly forgotten why he avoided going to bed late. The excitement of a new day—the first day after the actual life-changing revelation his sister had given him—had woken him up bright and early at five in the morning, and he had been awake since. Sally dutifully drove him to school, stopping for coffee along the way, and repeated the words of their father as he left the car. He felt shiny and new, a different Aaron than the one that had woken up the morning before. A better Aaron.

Of course, no one else knew this.

Aaron walked into their homeroom and immediately made his way to Mr. Washington. It was time to stand up for something.

“Sir, I’d like to sign on to help with the GSA,” Aaron announced, and he could feel the attention of the classroom snap to him in an instant. That was alright. He wanted everyone to know that he was done with the niceties.

“Really?” Mr. Washington asked, befuddled. “Well, that’s great! We meet with George—sorry, Headmaster Frederick—in less than a week, so we’re all preparing for it. I’m sure that Alexander would love to fill you in.” Aaron gave him a nod and prepared to go to Alexander, but Mr. Washington added something. “Oh, and Aaron? I’m very proud of you.”

“Thank you, sir,” Aaron responded, genuine. He turned back to the class, who all seemed to be looking at him in shock. He blushed al little, but proudly walked back to his seat next to Alexander. The boy was watching him in awe, his mouth wide open, though a grin was beginning to take over. “Alexander?” Silence.

“Uhm,” Lafayette cautioned, clearing his throat. “If I may, I think you—how do they say… broke?—I think you broke him.” Alexander nodded in agreement. “Ah, yes. Well, I think you are very brave. Good move, my friend.”

“What he said,” Mulligan piped in, clapping Aaron on the shoulder. Alexander nodded absently again.

“I’m glad you’re with us, Burr,” Laurens said with a grin.

“Thank you,” was all Aaron could say. The joy he was feeling, had been feeling since the night before, was growing and growing with every moment. He was ecstatic, practically on a high with this feeling.

“I’m not dreaming?” Alexander managed eventually, and the whole group laughed. “Seriously, someone pinch me or—“ Mulligan slapped his arm and Alexander yelped. “Hey! I said pinch! But, well, I’m stunned that this isn’t a dream.” He reached out and put a hand on Aaron’s shoulder. “I told you I’d find a way.”

“Wait, what?” Aaron exclaimed, laughing. “For one, you said that less than twelve hours ago. And secondly, you actually had very little to do with the circumstances surrounding my change of decision. So—“

“Wait, you saw each other last night?” Laurens asked. There was a moment of silence before Lafayette and Laurens began howling with laughter, whistling at the two of them.

“We all know what this means,” Lafayette wheezed between breaths. Aaron blushed and laughed with them. Alexander began shouting at them, but Mulligan leaned over to Aaron with a sage smile.

“Don’t worry, we may be loud and annoying and probably your worst nightmare, but we mean well,” he comforted. Aaron laughed and nodded. He could get used to this.

 

~~~

 

Aaron’s classes seemed to fly by. It felt like he had been underwater for years, because every lesson felt new. He was excited in a way he hadn’t been for a long while. He was hungry for more and more knowledge. Not to mention, Alexander’s passionate soliloquies (because it was class, and nobody was actually listening) added something for Aaron to tune in to if a lecture grew boring.

They ended the day with APUSH and Alexander practically dragged Aaron out of the room and to a more secluded part of campus. He sat down on a bench and Aaron took a seat across from him, raising his eyebrows in question.

“So, what changed your mind?” Alexander asked. “Because, well, I know it wasn’t me. I stayed up all night thinking and I was still at a complete loss.” Aaron chuckled at that and shook his head before continuing.

“My sister, Sally, she overheard you and I talking last night.” Alexander’s expression became clouded with shock and horror, but Aaron shook his head. “Sally is nothing like my grandfather. Actually, they couldn’t be anymore different. So when she heard about what was going on, she told me some information about my parents that I wasn’t aware of.” Alexander nodded, silently asking Aaron to continue. “They were major social rights activists. They even fought for LGBT rights. I thought they were Anglican like my grandfather, but I was wrong.”

“Wow,” Alexander murmured, still nodding. “Well, I’m glad that it didn’t take too much more to change things.” He paused and smiled to himself. “I would’ve found a way eventually.”

“Of course you would have, Alexander,” Aaron smirked. He wanted to make some indication to Alexander that he couldn’t think of any more barriers for them, but he didn’t want to overstep. Granted, Alexander seemed to be making a career out of overstepping, but, well, maybe it was best to pause for a bit. Considering the fact that they had stopped speaking for about a month (Aaron wasn’t counting his spying as speaking), maybe it was best to wait.

Aaron could do that.

“Hey, Alexander, I, uhm, I gotta go,” he mumbled, trying to sound cooler than he knew he was capable of being. Alexander cocked his head and furrowed his brow.

“Is something wrong?” He was so sincere it almost hurt.

“No! No, it’s just that my sister is picking me up today and she’s probably already here. One thing that she and my grandfather do have in common is that they’re always on time, no matter what.”

“Oh, okay. Good,” Alexander nodded. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow? Or, actually, tonight. We have a group texting thing—the boys and I and you, now—about the GSA. We’re all getting a bunch of arguments together, and it’s going to be really important, even if Laurens and Lafayette are too busy making innuendos about us the whole time. Wow. Jeez. I am so sorry about them earlier. You know, I really should—“

“Alexander,” Aaron interrupted calmly. It seemed to be a habit they were forming. “It’s alright. I’ll talk to you later tonight. And I expect you to actually start sleeping again. And eating. Please eat. Okay?”

“Okay,” Alexander seconded with a wide grin. “Bye, Aaron Burr.”

“Goodbye, Alexander Hamilton,” Aaron answered with a laugh. He wasn’t ten paces away before he felt the urge to turn back and talk to Alexander about their potentially romantic situation. He resisted, but only by some miracle.

Okay, maybe waiting would be harder than he expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tfw you're worried you're jumping the shark and then you realize you're 8 chapter in to a 15 chapter fic...
> 
> BUT CAN ANYONE SAY WOW!?!?!? That was such a crazy chapter to write. OF COURSE more drama is coming in the near future because I'm a twisted writer who kills her darlings, but we can savor the happy while it lasts. Right?
> 
> TBH updates will probably be super swift for this week. My summer classes start next Monday and I start work on my internship too and that's all assuming I don't get the job I'm interviewing for this week and... yeah, I'm 500% Alexander with all these responsibilities (#nonstop).
> 
> ANYWHO with all of that coming up, I'll probably be squeezing in as much writing as possible. I might start queuing updates up just in case next week totally wipes me out? But we'll see. I'll update tumblr to let you know if I start doing that.
> 
> OKAY HAVE A GOOD PROBABLY 24 HOURS BEFORE THE NEXT UPDATE!! <3


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Calm before the storm (boy, isn't that ominous)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY HEY HEY so this is a shorter chapter than I would like to have put out, but if you're been following my tumblr, that shouldn't be too surprising. I've been having some issues with eye soreness (from computer usage ha) and I have an interview in less than 12 hours so.... yes.
> 
> THAT BEING SAID I should be more regular with my updates from this point. Hopefully. You'll also notice that I upped the chapter count to 20. Woo! The shorter chapters mean that I still have more to cover. HOPEFULLY those chapters in the future (minus this one and probably the next one) will go back to being longer. 
> 
> REMINDERS: If you wanna give me a tip, head to my patreon! If you wanna get a FREE COMMISSION OR REQUEST SOMETHING, head on over to my tumblr! I really wanna give back to you guys!! <3
> 
> ANYWHO, enjoy!

“So,” Sally began, shoving a handful of fries into her mouth, “tell me more about this Hamilton kid.”

They were sitting in a retro burger joint a few streets over from Town Square. Sally had dragged him in—not that it took to much effort—and claimed that she and her friends used to hang around there after school. Aaron could practically feel the nostalgia emanating from his sister.

“Well, he came to school partway through September and immediately made a name for himself disrupting the status quo,” Aaron explained, smiling without thinking. “He teamed up with Laurens, Mulligan, and Lafayette to start a GSA at the school. He somehow got an article in the newspaper about LGBT rights at both the girls’ and boys’ schools. He gives these sermons in Town Square almost daily. He’s wildly intelligent, ambitious to a fault, and just unlike any other person I’ve ever met.” He laughed when he noticed that Sally was shaking her head with a wide smile. “Okay, okay, make fun of me all you want.”

“No, no, I think it’s adorable,” she laughed. “From what I heard the other night, he’s just as enamored with you as you are with him, so it works out.” She hesitated a moment, taking a sip of her drink. “Okay, real talk? I think you should be careful. Do you remember a lot about Greek mythology?” Aaron nodded. “Well, he reminds me of Icarus. He’s got all of this ambition and all these big dreams—and that’s great, that’s really, really good—but he could, you know, fly too close to the sun.” Aaron frowned. “I mean, it’s not definite, but I’m just telling you to be careful. Mmkay?”

“Alright,” Aaron agreed. He understood where his sister was coming from. Alexander did tend to be a loose canon, something that Aaron had been feeling wary of from the start. But that was also one of the traits that drew Aaron to him.

“Okay, happy talk again,” Sally announced. “Tell me about the Schuylers. I vaguely remember meeting Phillip Schuyler through grandfather once, but from what I heard, it sounds like they’re a little less—how to put it kindly?—insane?” Aaron chuckled.

“Well, Mr. Schuyler is a good friend of grandfather’s but he’s not very strict with his daughters. There’s Angelica, Eliza, and Peggy. Angelica is a senior, Eliza is a junior, and Peggy is a freshman. Angelica and Eliza are really into everything that Alexander is doing. I heard that Angelica is even looking into starting up a GSA at the girls’ school if ours works out. And then Eliza is just such an angel. I mean, apart from trying to help out my situation with Alexander and—“ Aaron stopped as he remembered what Alexander had said last night. She knew that he was not exactly straight (he should probably get around to thinking about where he fell on the spectrum at some point). She knew and she hadn’t said anything. Aaron needed to talk to her, like, yesterday.

“Uhm, Aaron? What planet did you fly off to?” Sally asked, waving her hand in front of Aaron’s face. His focus snapped back to her and he gave a nervous laugh.

“Nothing, nothing. I’m just remembering something Alexander said last night,” he explained, munching on some fries. “He told me that Eliza knows I’m not straight, knew for a while actually. I have to… Well, I have to thank her sometime.” Sally nodded sagely.

“And Peggy?” she asked.

“Hm? Oh. Peggy is very different from her sisters because she’s the youngest. She doesn’t much enjoy breaking rules, while Angelica and Eliza would probably go insane without breaking one a day,” Aaron laughed. “But she’s very sweet. A very nice girl.”

“That’s great, Aaron,” Sally complimented with a smile. “I’m glad that these sisters and Mr. Schuyler have been a reprieve from the harsh guy at home.” She looked down at her watch and sighed. “Speaking of, we should be getting back. He’ll be expecting me to have dinner on the table when we get home.” Sally hesitated a moment before speaking slowly, choosing her words carefully. “Aaron, I know this is probably not what you want to hear, but you should tell grandfather about your involvement in the GSA.” Aaron opened his mouth to protest, but she held up a hand and stopped him. “I’m the last person on Earth who’s here to argue anything in favor of him, so hear me out. The longer you do this in secret, the worse it will be when he finds out, which he eventually will. Plus, it’ll soften the blow if I’m around. And if it gets real bad, you and me can find somewhere to stay in the city.”

“Sally, I don’t know,” Aaron sighed. “I think I could get away without him knowing. And… Well, maybe it’s better if he hears it elsewhere.” Sally tried to interrupt, but Aaron stopped her. “I’ll think about it. But I’m not going to promise anything.”

“That’s good enough for me,” she answered with a nod and a grin. “Now, let’s go make some tacos, little bro.”

 

~~~

 

Aaron: _Hey, Eliza. Alexander told me about how you know I’m gay (or maybe bi? Or pan? I don’t really know) and I just wanted to thank you for keeping it a secret and for giving me space. It means a lot. I don’t know how to thank you._

Aaron was sitting at his desk, finishing up his homework for the night. It had been a surprisingly peaceful dinner with his grandfather and sister (who, thankfully, did not bring up Aaron’s involvement with the GSA). Although, Sally did have a near death experience when their grandfather brought up Alexander. As soon as their grandfather excused himself, Sally burst into howling laughter at the fact that Aaron had convinced him that Alexander was a “tricky convert.”

Eliza: _Of course! Aaron, you’re family to me, and I would do anything for my family. Don’t worry about finding a label for yourself; just love who you love and let it be. If you find a label you connect to, then that’s great, but don’t worry too much about it :)_

Eliza: _As for thanking me, just do me this one little favor: try to convince Alexander to get some sleep at some point. He’s been texting and calling me at all hours to discuss his plans. At first, it was sort of endearing, but now… Well, you know._

Aaron laughed at her second text. That sounded exactly like Alexander’s brand of behavior. He took a moment to reread her messages and smiled. He felt warm. He was part of Eliza’s family. She was being supportive of probably the only thing in his life he wasn’t sure of.

He had to admit, ever since Sally’s revelation to him the other night, his world seemed to be on fire. In a good way.

Aaron: _Haha I’ll get right on that. No promises. You and I both know how stubborn that boy is._

Eliza: _True that. He’s a little crazy for you though, so maybe you’ll be the best incentive ;P_

Aaron was about to respond when his phone began buzzing rapidly, message notifications sliding in faster than he could read them. The group text. Aaron flicked to the other window to see what they had been saying.

Laurens: _YO YO YOOOO BOIS_

Lafayette: _BONJOUR MON AMI_

Mulligan: _EYYYYY YOOOOOO_

Alexander: _HEY!_

Alexander: _okay we should get down to business_

Mulligan: _to defeat the huns?_

Lafayette: _LOLOLOLOLOL_

Laurens: _I MEAN there are definitely some similarities with the school_

Alexander: _y’all needa get out more_

Mulligan: _SPEAKING OF, I see the your boooooy is on this chat_

Mulligan: _HI BURR_

Lafayette: _AAAAARRRRRROOOOOONNNNNNNN_

Alexander: _Oh jeez…_

Laurens: _AARON BURR, WHERE ARE YOOOOOOU????_

Alexander: _guuuuuuuuuuuuuys staaaaaaahp_

Mulligan: _TEASE HIM MOOOOORE_

Lafayette: _IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS HIS FRIENDS_

Aaron: _Uhm, hello._

Laurens: _AARON BUTT_

Mulligan: _LOL WUT LAURENS_

Laurens: _SHIT, TYPO LOLOLOL SORRY AARON_

Aaron: _Hahah it’s cool_

Alexander: _Hey Aaron ^_^_

Mulligan: _OOOOOHH_

Laurens: _OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH_

Lafayette: _OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH <3 <3 <3 <3_

Alexander: _OKAY SHUT UP EVERYONE_

Alexander: _(except you Aaron)_

Alexander: _WE NEED TO GET TO WORK_

And get to work they did. Aaron was happily surprised when he found that the other boys were actually capable of focusing and being productive. In fact, they were very good at it when it came down to it. The group spent about an hour discussing possible rebuttals for school stances, and Aaron proved himself as an invaluable addition. The other boys didn’t know much about base Anglican beliefs, but Aaron had been submerged in those ideals his whole life.

By the end of the chat, each member had been given a topic to go into more depth on. Each of them was responsible for a part of the argument, and Aaron was actually starting to believe that they could do this. The odds were against them, yes, but it was looking like they had a chance.

After saying goodbye on the chat, Aaron took a few minutes to write some. He had been craving the feeling of pen on paper for the longest, but time seemed to be flying by. He let his thoughts engulf him and the words flowed through him easily. Aaron had just finished writing the last line when his phone buzzed next to him.

Alexander: _Hi :)_

Aaron smiled and embraced the warmth he felt in his heart. He had pushed it away for so long now, but letting it in felt right. It felt good. He was left wondering why he hadn’t done this long ago.

Aaron: _Hey you :) That group chat was fun haha_

Alexander: _Oh jeez. Haha I’m sorry about them xD_

Aaron: _Don’t apologize, they’re funny haha_

Alexander: _Well, I’m glad then!_

Alexander: _So are you heading off to bed?_

Aaron: _Yup! Past my bedtime :P_

Aaron looked down at his desk and looked over his poem once more. A thought struck him and he grinned widely, taking a picture.

Aaron: _Thought you might like this, though_

Alexander: _A poem! Yay!! I’m v v v excited to read_

Alexander: _Thank you, Aaron :)_

Aaron: _Of course :)_

Aaron: _Okay, I’m off to bed. Goodnight, Alexander!_

Aaron was already in bed when he received the response.

Alexander: _Night, Aaron. Sleep well <3_

And sleep well he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was pretty chill! Surprising, right? Ha, all the drama comes next time, believe you me. And by that, I mean LOADS OF DRAMA. It's the halfway point so there HAS TO BE DRAMA GALORE. 
> 
> AND THEN ACT 2 STARTS WITH CHAPTER 11 AND YOU KNOW WHAT THAAAAAT MEEEEEANS ;;;;;;)))))))))
> 
> OKAY I'm gonna sleep now and try not to panic too hard over my interview. WISH ME LUCK PLEASE!!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All I'm gonna say is that it has the fighting from "Yorktown" and the cute from "Dear Theodosia."
> 
> Do with that what you will.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY HEY HEY I got my interview all done and I'm in the process of studying for my internship and I GOT THIS DONE IN LESS THAN 24. 
> 
> Tip me at Patreon and grab yo commissions on my tumblr! I'm also probably gonna do a ___ x reader thingie soon so THAT COULD BE FUN. Message me your ideas :D
> 
> Thank you all for the kudos (even if repeat kudos don't count on here, THEY COUNT IN MY HEART) and comments and just general love. You're lovely!!
> 
> JUST A REMINDER/WARNING: don't forget that this work is tagged as having some homophobia, and that definitely comes around in this chapter. If that's something you don't like, be warned!
> 
> OKAY OKAY GO READ GO READ

The time seemed to fly by between that night and the day of the meeting with Headmaster Frederick. Aaron was technically prepared—his arguments were sound, he had some index cards in case he forgot, and he had even tucked the blanket that his mother had sewn for him into his bag (just in case)—but he was more nervous than he could articulate.

That morning, homeroom was tense. The rowdy group turned quiet, pensive. Each of them was coping with the stress in a different way: Lafayette and Mulligan were talking quietly, Laurens was reading over his notes, Aaron was doodling in his planner, and Alexander was just staring at his desk, his thoughts spinning at a mile a minute. Even Mr. Washington was quieter than usual (a feat that Aaron didn’t know was possible). They remained like this throughout the day, classes rushing past without any of them actually hearing anything.

“It’s time,” Mr. Washington announced solemnly at the end of their final period. Everyone looked to Alexander. He nodded and began walking towards the conference room, where Headmaster Frederick would be. The boys followed him, eerily silent. Aaron could feel his heart pounding, but he remained resolved. He was going to make his parents proud.

“Ah, Mr. Washington,” the headmaster greeted as they walked into the room. He and a panel of other administration members were sitting at a long table across from a cluster of chairs. Mr. Washington took a place at the wall, choosing to remain standing, while the boys took seats across from the faculty. “Alexander, John, Mulligan, and—“ the headmaster paused, trying to remember something, “—Lafayette, I can’t recall your first name. No matter. And—is that Aaron Burr?”

“Yes, sir,” Aaron answered quietly. He was starting to feel nauseous.

“Fascinating,” the headmaster commented. “So, you boys are here about the—what is it?—gay club?”

“The Gay Straight Association,” Alexander corrected sharply. The headmaster narrowed his eyes and smiled grimly.

“Yes, that’s right. Well, I’m _so_ _sorry_ to say that that simply will not do. As you should know, homosexuality is not something that the Anglican community encourages. It simply would not do for me to allow such an association at Northeastern Anglican Academy.” Headmaster Frederick looked anything but sorry.

“Well, sir,” Alexander began, and the debate began. Civility, it seemed, eventually flew out the window, as faculty and boys alike began shouting. Even Mr. Washington, a generally subdued and quiet man, engaged in the argument. Aaron… Well, Aaron tried to speak. He really did. But his nerves seemed to take hold of his vocal chords and nothing came out. Everyone was making amazing points beside him, fighting the good fight, and Aaron couldn’t get one word out. Despite the chaos, faculty members, one by one, began pausing and, in a surprising twist, changing their minds. Soon enough, the headmaster was the only one left.

“Enough,” Headmaster Frederick eventually boomed after nearly an hour had passed. “It is obvious that you _children_ have spent a great deal of time convincing yourselves that this is the proper action. Hell, your arguments seem to have the power to bamboozle even the brightest of our faculty,” he bit, shooting a glare at Mr. Washington. “But it is my responsibility to uphold Anglican values and this little organization of yours is a direct violation of everything we hold dear.” He stopped for a moment and looked at Aaron. A vile grin curled onto his lips. “My dear boy, Aaron, you should know this best. What does your grandfather preach about this?”

“Now you listen to me,” Alexander began, his voice loud and defensive, but Aaron stopped him.

“It’s okay, Alexander,” he murmured. “Headmaster Frederick, this is what I know. The Anglican community has taught that homosexuality in and of itself is not a sinful state of being—despite the way that many Anglicans frame it. It is not wrong to be homosexual. The Gay-Straight Association is group that encourages facing sexuality in a healthy way, a way that keeps your students safe.”

He paused, feeling his voice rising. He could hear something inside of him, his grandfather, telling him to stop, but the voices of his parents and sister urging him on were far more important. With a sly smile, he continued. “Sir, it is your job to uphold Anglican values, yes, but it is also your job to keep us, your student body, safe. By teaching this form of hatred against homosexuals and anyone that isn’t 100% straight, you are teaching so many of us to hate ourselves.

“So, to be clear about what I’m saying since you seem to have some difficulties understanding this, homosexuality in the Anglican faith is not a sin and denying us a GSA is an absolute violation of your responsibilities as our headmaster.” It wasn’t until Aaron finished and the room went silent that Aaron realized that he had been shouting by the end, his hands shaking where they sat in his lap. Headmaster Frederick’s jaw had dropped. Mr. Washington and some of the other faculty members were smiling.

“Drop the mic,” Mulligan said under his breath, and Lafayette chuckled along. Alexander was beaming at Aaron.

“Sir, if I may,” Mr. Washington began, but the headmaster waved a hand to silence him.

“Yes, you may,” he sighed. “I’m tired of fighting with you and I do not want to deal with anymore backlash. So do what you like. Just leave me be.”

Alexander opened his mouth to say something, but Mr. Washington shook his head. The boys followed him out of the room and walked a few paces before hooting and hollering in joy.

“We won!” Laurens shouted.

“We won,” Lafayette breathed in shock, grinning wide.

“We won!” Mulligan bellowed.

“We won,” Alexander repeated, looking at Aaron with immense joy. Aaron nodded, his heart fluttering as the adrenaline remained pumping through his veins. He had just told off Headmaster Frederick. He had just won the argument. The GSA was theirs.

“Hey, you guys should come over to my house,” Laurens suggested as they walked back towards Mr. Washington’s room. “We could have a whole party with the five of us. Maybe do a sleepover or something?” Lafayette and Mulligans quickly agreed, but Alexander looked to Aaron first.

“Well, my grandfather doesn’t really like me staying over places except of the Schuylers,” he frowned. The whole idea sounded like good fun to Aaron, but, well, he already knew the answer.

“Ah,” Alexander nodded. “I don’t think I’ll go either.”

“Alexander, you don’t have to skip it for me.” Aaron didn’t want Alexander to miss out on the fun, though he had to admit that he was touched at the thought. Alexander hesitated before speaking.

“Are you sure? Because I really don’t have to.”

“I’m doubly sure. Don’t worry about it,” Aaron answered, genuine. His phone buzzed, revealing a text from Sally saying that she was at the school. “Alright, I’ve got to go, but, have fun! And congrats again on all of this.”

“Bye, Burr,” Lafayette, Laurens, and Mulligan called in unison.

“Goodbye, Aaron,” Alexander said, and Aaron was really going to have to get this fluffy happy feeling inside of himself under control because it was getting distracting.

Sally was sitting in her car in one of the stalls at school, checking her lipstick in the driver’s side mirror, when Aaron hopped into the car. She immediately turned her attention to him and lifted her eyebrows inquisitively. Aaron cocked his head, playing dumb.

“So?” she asked impatiently.

“So what?” Aaron responded, keeping his laughter in as best he could.

“The GSA!” she shouted. “How did it go? I need to know!”

“Well,” Aaron began calmly, “it went alright, considering that the GSA is officially formed and approved!” Sally screamed and pulled him into a tight hug.

“I’m so happy for you! You did it, you did it!”

“Yup,” Aaron answered with a grin. “We did it.”

“So, where are the other boys?” Sally asked after she pulled away, looking around at the parking lot.

“Oh, they’re headed to Laurens’ house for a bit of partying and sleeping over,” Aaron explained, trying not to sound to let down that he couldn’t go.

“What?” Sally exclaimed, yelling yet again. “And you’re not with them why?”

“Well, grandfather would never agree,” he frowned.

“Well,” Sally started and she turned the car on, “I guess we just won’t tell him, then.” Her grin was wicked as she drove out of the lot. Aaron felt himself smiling, too. Sally needed to stick around more often.

 

~~~

 

Aaron arrived at John Laurens’ house—well, it was more like a mansion—at around seven that night. Sally had told their grandfather that she was taking Aaron on a little road trip to one of her favorite spots up the coast, claiming that they’d likely be back later that night. Later, she told Aaron that she was going to call their grandfather at around nine and say that they ran into car trouble and were spending the night at a motel nearby. The plan, according to Sally, was foolproof.

So, Aaron pushed down the nervous feeling in his gut and knocked on the door. He could hear laughter and yelling coming from inside, and smiled to himself reflexively. He was part of this.

“Ey, pizza man,” Mulligan proclaimed as he opened the door, but found Aaron instead. “Aaron Burr!” he shouted, and Aaron could hear footsteps rushing to the door. Lafayette appeared, followed by Laurens, and then Alexander, who looked like he had stepped onto cloud nine.

“You’re here!” Alexander rushed forward and hugged Aaron, and Aaron, for what it’s worth, stood there utterly shocked. It was pleasant, definitely, but a surprise. “Oh, sorry,” Alexander apologized, blushing, “didn’t mean to scare you.”

“No! No, I liked it,” Aaron confessed, and Alexander’s smile lit up.

“Okay, love birds, looks like we’ll be separating you two at bed time,” Laurens joked while Mulligan and Lafayette whistled at the pair. Aaron blushed and Alexander flipped them off.

“Okay, okay, let’s get inside,” Alexander groaned. After some protestation, they all went back inside.

Aaron had never been to a sleepover (other than nights with the Schuylers, but those didn’t really count) before, so he wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. Apparently, this is what sleepovers consisted of: piles of pizza (Aaron could certainly get on board with that), playing Cards Against Humanity (oh jeez, he was going to have to pray for forgiveness after that one) and Twister (he had to ignore the tingly sensation he felt when Alexander’s legs tangled with his own), roughhousing (well, that was mainly Laurens and Mulligan), and lots and lots of laughter. That was what Aaron liked the most. He was sure his face was stuck in an eternal grin.

At half past eleven that night, the group was sprawled in the living room with a horror movie that Aaron didn’t recognized playing on the flatscreen. Laurens and Lafayette each had their own chairs, Mulligan lay on the ground, and Alexander and Aaron shared the couch. Everyone except for Aaron was asleep, but that was fine with him. He enjoyed the peace of being surrounded by people he loved being around, of simply basking in the moment. This moment was one he would save in his heart for years.

“Aaron?” a groggy voice murmured and he turned to see Alexander blinking slowly next to him.

“Hey,” Aaron whispered, turning his body so that he was facing him. “What are you doing up?” Alexander laughed breathily and adjusted so that he was sitting up more.

“I could ask you the same thing.” He rubbed some of the sleep from his eyes. A beat passed before either of them spoke. “I’m really glad you came, Aaron. And I’m really proud of you for helping with the group. Not only was everything you said today utterly kickass—“ Alexander paused and gave a mischievous grin, “and a total turn on, but it was also incredibly intelligent and it really gave us the win. So thank you.”

“It was nothing,” Aaron blushed, turning away from him with a shy smile. He felt the couch shift and suddenly Alexander was right there, turning Aaron’s chin up. They looked into each other’s eyes for a moment before kissing, slowly and sweetly. Alexander leaned forward into Aaron, and Aaron—who was finally starting to get the hang of reacting to Alexander’s surprises—wrapped his arms around the boy. It was a very difficult decision, but Aaron finally picked breathing over Alexander’s lips. They both pulled away, breathless and giddy.

“It’s been way too long since we’ve done that,” Alexander murmured. Aaron huffed a laugh, closing his eyes and treasuring the warmth of Alexander’s body against his. A beat passed and Alexander adjusted so that his head was on Aaron’s shoulder. “We should definitely do this more often.”

“Agreed,” Aaron whispered. “Although, perhaps with three less people in the room.” Alexander chuckled at that and Aaron could feel him nod. A long while passed in comfortable silence.

“Are you falling asleep?” Aaron murmured, feeling himself already slipping. Alexander gave a tired groan and nuzzled further into his shoulder. Aaron dozed off with a light smile on his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHHHHHHH ARE YOU FANGIRLING LIKE I AM?????
> 
> I've been waiting to write this for FOREVER. Sorry about skimping on the debate portion, I'm just not actually super familiar with Anglican views and I didn't want to say something incorrect (though I did my best research!). 
> 
> THANKS AGAIN, KUDOS, COMMENT, MESSAGE ME, DO ALL THE THINGS, SEND ME ALL THE THINGS, I LOVE YOU, OKAY BYE!!!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Act 2 to start! And guess who we have, all the way back from France.
> 
> You haven't met him yet, you haven't had the chance.
> 
> AKA Jefferson's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys guys guuuuuuys it's Jefferson's POV. I was so pumped to write this. I've been ready for a billion years and it finally happened! Yeee!! 
> 
> NOTE: There's a little bit of Frenchie talk (oh god, it's from google translate cause I only know Spanish and Russian, so forgive how bad it probably is) in the chapter, but you don't gotta go translate it yourself. Just underneath that section, I have a repeat of it in parenthesis in English, so yes! If the French is super bad, btw, feel free to send me corrections and I'll change it.
> 
> I might be a little MIA for the rest of the weekend and part of next week, but I will definitely get the next chapter up by next Friday. Probably before. You know how I am.
> 
> SMOL ANNOUNCEMENT: I'm thinking of doing some side drabbles for this fic because augh so many cutie pies. I'll probably make a separate work compartment thingie for it OR I'll wait to post them until the end of the work and just make a few "chapters" of bonus content. LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS
> 
> Thanks again for all the love y'all are sending me! You make my life with all of the support <3 If you want anymore Hamilton fic thingies, you can request on my tumblr *waggles eyebrows* do it do it doooo iiiiiit.
> 
> OKAY go enjoy my Southern Motherfuckin' Democratic Republican's chapter :D

It was a chilly winter day in Paris when Thomas got the first frantic call from James. He had heard that the GSA was starting back at his high school (well, his usual high school; right now, he was doing a semester abroad) and had done all he could to support it from afar. Granted, most people wouldn’t recognize his efforts (bribery isn’t wrong if your cause is right), but he had been assured a place in running the group when he returned in the spring.

That group, however, did not appear to be running as smoothly as Thomas had hoped.

“Thomas, Thomas, you won’t _believe_ what Hamilton did today,” James began before even greeting him. Later, Thomas would look back bitterly at this phone call. It would be the first of many, _many_ more like it.

“What is it, James?” he asked lazily. He was strolling through the city, on his way to a very posh party, and smoking some possibly illicit substance. Of course he wasn’t worried about what was happening across the Atlantic in his small town.

“He’s completely overhauling our funding methods,” James explained. “At first, we weren’t going to charge any dues for the club. Then he changed it to charging a few dollars per member. Now, he’s trying to convince us to make the charge every semester and to add on an entrance fee.”

“What?” This actually got Thomas’s attention. That did not at _all_ sound like something he could put up with. “That’s ridiculous.”

Between that first phone call in November and Thomas’s last day in Paris at the beginning of January, James had called so many times that Thomas had stopped counting. Thomas had felt a little powerless across the sea—thankfully he had many a party to distract him—but now? Oh, now he was going to set things straight.

 

~~~

 

Thomas blinked groggily, the fluorescent lighting on the plane making waking up a much more difficult task than it should have been. He yawned and felt his ears pop. They were coming in for a landing. With a sigh, Thomas stretched out in his first class seat (of course he was in first class; he couldn’t be set up in that stuffy death trap called coach).

“Home, sweet home,” he murmured as he watched the descent from his window. He turned his music up as they came in for a landing, nodding along to the jazzy beat in an effort to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach as the descent steepened. He was the first to leave the metal tube head been stuck in for far too long, shooting a wink at the attractive stewardess on the way out.

Thomas scanned the faces in the crowd at the airport as came down the escalator. He watched as fellow passengers were met by families and significant others and felt a pang of sadness. He pushed it away immediately when he saw James.

“Thomas!” James called, grinning. He met Thomas with a brief hug. “It’s good to have you back. You’re parents apologize: they couldn’t get away from work.”

“That’s alright,” Thomas lied, matching James’s smile. “How about we get my bag and have a sleepover tonight.”

“Sounds good to me.” James and Thomas were practically attached at the hip. Their parents worked together, so they became friends at a very young age. Eventually, they began sharing babysitters and practically lived at each other’s houses. Thomas wasn’t likely to admit it out loud (because James, while notoriously sappy, loves to make fun of Thomas), but he had missed not having James with him on his semester abroad.

The pair grabbed Thomas’s luggage, headed to James’s car, and were back at the Jefferson mansion in under an hour.

“Master Thomas, welcome home,” one of the staff members greeted as they entered. Thomas managed a quick nod (he was tired and pleasantries were not on his mind) before climbing the stairs to his room. James sat on the bed while Thomas grabbed a change of clothes. He had been in travel for far too long. He needed a shower with hot water and good water pressure.

“Showering,” Thomas stated tiredly. “Order some pizza or something.” James nodded and Thomas took his shower. He made sure it was long—a luxury that he had been deprived of in France—and savored every second of it. Once the grime of the airplane was washed from his skin and the water in the pipes had turned cold, Thomas stepped out and stretched again. His limbs were tight. He would need to work on that.

“Pizza just got here,” James announced once Thomas finally stepped out. Apparently it had been a very long shower. Thomas grabbed a slice from the box and bit in. He moaned without thinking and James’s eyebrows shot up.

“I so missed pizza,” he explained with a full mouth. James laughed and took a bite of his own. “Alright, school starts back in just a few days and the first GSA meeting is then. I need all the dirt on these boys.”

“Well, Alexander is the leader of this,” James explained. “He’s a new kid, came a few weeks into last semester. Mother died when he was a kid and now he’s living with his cousin. Immigrant family. Pansexual. Wildly intelligent. He’s a favorite of Mr. Washington’s and has top marks in all of his classes, aside from religion. From what I can tell, he’s the hardest sell when it comes to change.”

Thomas nodded sagely, making mental notes of all the information. James had done well in his absence, not that he was surprised. “Alright. If he’s the stubborn one, then let’s look at the others. Who is he playing with?”

“John Laurens, Hercules Mulligan, that Lafayette kid—do you know his first name?—and Aaron Burr.”

“Aaron Burr?” Thomas cocked his head at the name. Now _that_ was a surprise. “We’re talking about the same Aaron Burr, yes? Son of the preacher, Aaron Burr?” James nodded adamantly. “Huh. Now that’s interesting. Tell me about his involvement here.”

“Well, for starters, I have no idea where he falls on the spectrum, but he’s dating Alexander.” Thomas’s jaw dropped and James nodded in agreement. “I know. As far as I can tell, his grandfather knows nothing of his involvement with the GSA and with Hamilton.” James stopped and Thomas sensed his hesitation.

“What is it?” he asked flatly.

“I know that that’s a really juicy tidbit but outing Burr to his grandfather to get control in the club… I don’t like it,” James confessed. “I’m sure there’s dirt on Hamilton somewhere else, but Burr is actually a pretty nice and reasonable guy.”

Thomas hummed at this, crossing his fingers and resting his chin on this hands. “Okay. We’ll come back to this. How’s dating going between the two?”

“Very good, by all accounts. They started just after admin gave the green for the GSA and have been going strong ever since. Granted, they fly under the radar, but—“

“But you see all, I know,” Thomas joked, smiling at his friend. He didn’t admit it often, but James had a knack for knowing everything about everyone all the time.

“Yes,” James admitted with a shy nod. “The grandfather is the only presence I can see that would interrupt the peace.” James paused and considered for a moment. “Well, okay, I could see some tension arising if they disagree on something. Hamilton is stubborn and brash, but Burr is cool, calculating. Their last disagreement led to a month-long silence between the two.”

“Ah, that’s good,” Thomas praised, grinning like a Cheshire cat. Once he saw James’s face, however, he amended his statement. “Good as in good to know. Of _course_ I wish them the utmost happiness.” James narrowed his eyes and nodded skeptically. “Okay! Other boys. How are we with Lafayette?”

“Oh, you mean your little _crush_?” James teased, laughing. Thomas blushed and shook his head.

“No, no, no. You have it all wrong,” Thomas explained coolly, but he knew that his best friend saw right through it. The Frenchie had come at the beginning of their sophomore year as a semester-long exchange student, but ended up staying the full year and re-enrolling for their junior year. Thomas would never admit it, but he was giddy at the thought of seeing Lafayette again.

Granted, Thomas had never really had the opportunity to speak to Lafayette very often. At the beginning of their sophomore year, Lafayette could speak only a few words in English. He ended up sticking with French most of the time, not that anyone could understand him. Thomas tried his best to hold conversations with him, but it was no use. So, in December, Thomas applied for a study abroad program in France and Lafayette chose to spend another semester in New York.

During the spring semester, Lafayette’s English began to improve little by little. He began hanging out with Laurens and Mulligan more often, but—and this is the part that made Thomas’s heart skip a beat—he seemed to always make time to speak with Thomas.

All to soon, the semester came to an end and Lafayette left for France while Thomas went on vacation with his parents to South America. By the time Thomas was in France for his study abroad stint, Lafayette was back in New York. But now they were in the same place at once, and Thomas was going to seem him again in a few days, and, oh yeah, he was planning to destroy Hamilton, who just happened to be Lafayette’s dear friend. This was getting complicated.

“Well,” James started after some silence, “if you’re planning to get to Hamilton through Lafayette, it won’t work. Actually, everyone in that group is completely loyal to Hamilton.” Thomas remained quiet for several minutes, thinking about the situation.

“Alright, James,” he finally said, conviction heavy in his voice, “it’s going to be a long night of planning. Let’s start with Aaron Burr.”

 

~~~

 

It was half past five when Thomas slapped his alarm clock silent, let out a low moan, and sat up groggily. He blinked a few times, his bedroom in New York coming into focus. He had been back for a few days, but he still expected to see his tiny French dorm when he awoke. Not that he missed it.

“Mmkay, first day back,” he slurred, sliding his legs out of bed. His limbs seemed to move slower than molasses as he pulled on his clothing and brushed his teeth and combed his hair and packed his bag and grabbed his coffee. He was not a morning person.

It wasn’t until he stumbled into Mr. Lee’s homeroom at around seven that he began processing the fact that he was indeed back at Northeastern Anglican Academy. Despite his unhappy feelings towards the school, it was good to be back.

This sentiment was affirmed when he encountered Lafayette in his first period religion class (universally known as the class where you have to pay no attention whatsoever), and even more so when he found that they were sitting next to each other.

“Bonjour, mon ami!” Lafayette greeted. His grin was nearly enough to make Thomas skip the rest of school that day.

“Bonjour,” he managed instead. “Comment avez-vous été?“

“Ah, pas mal,” Lafayette answered, surprise evident in his features. “Vos sons français beaucoup mieux.” Thomas brightened at the compliment.

“Je vous remercie,” he said with a slight bow of his head. “And how’s your English doing?”

 

(“Hello, my friend!” Lafayette greeted. His grin was nearly enough to make Thomas skip the rest of school that day.

“Hello,” he managed instead. “How have you been?“

“Ah, not bad,” Lafayette answered, surprise evident in his features. “Your French sounds much better.”

“Thank you,” he said with a slight bow of his head. “And how’s your English doing?”)

 

“I am told that it has improved,” Lafayette laughed. He was blushing a little. Thomas was taking this as a very god sign.

“Indeed it has!” Thomas exclaimed, clapping him on the shoulder. Lafayette grinned widely and Thomas took that as an invitation to step up his flirting game. “While I do miss France, I’m glad that I yet again have the opportunity for our conversations.” Lafayette blushed hard.

They continued catching up throughout class and barely noticed that the bell had rang, signaling the end of the first period. Thomas was reluctant to say goodbye, but he knew that they’d be talking a whole lot more. Not to mention, he got to watch Lafayette walk away, which was something he had so missed.

Yes, it was definitely good to be back.

 

~~~

 

“Thomas, where have you been?” James asked as Thomas strolled down the hall towards the first GSA meeting. The school day had been long, but he was finally starting to feel like his old self again.

“Uh, France?” he joked. James was not amused.

“C’mon, they’re starting. Hamilton is already ready to talk about the finance policy. We have to win.”

“No worries, buddy,” Thomas comforted nonchalantly, “I got this.” He strut into Mr. Washington’s classroom and found it to be surprisingly full. He had no idea that there were this many kids that wanted in. That, however, only worked in his favor: James had a way with convincing crowds and the more people Thomas had on his side, the better.

“Mr. Jefferson, welcome home,” Mr. Washington greeted warmly. Thomas smiled back at him.

“Jefferson? Alexander Hamilton,” a short boy introduced. So this was the man, the myth, the legend, Hamilton.

“So, what’d I miss?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO HOW WAS THAT?
> 
> As you can tell, I totally ship Lafayette and T. Jeffs. Like, 500%. I might have to do a bonus chapter of just these fools cause augh. There's also another ship that's gonna come to light in the near future and it involves a Schuyler sister *wink* *wink*
> 
> ALRIGHT kudos, comment, make me a blood sacrifice, the usual. I'll try to have the next update sooner rather than later!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jefferson's return spells chaos for all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I HAVE RETURNED FROM MY LONG WEEKEND.
> 
> Alrighty, friends. I know it's only been, what, 5 days? But I still feel bad about leaving for this long. 
> 
> Sadly, not bad enough that I'll avoid drama in this chapter.
> 
> ANYWHO, I don't actually have a lot of announcements. My commissions are still open (and short ones are FREE), my pattern is still accepting tips, and I still love you all!
> 
> OKAY GO READ.

_Shit. Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit. Fuuuuuuck. Oh shit. Oh no. Oh fuck._

A litany of curses ran through Aaron’s mind as he watched the debate between Alexander and Jefferson. It was bad. No, scratch that, it was apocalyptic. Aaron hadn’t seen Jefferson in a little under a year and, boy, he was still just as conniving as before. Poor Alexander had had no idea what he was going up against. Honestly, Aaron had assumed that Jefferson would just be happy to have a GSA that he could run a piece of.

Yeah, right about now, Aaron was feeling like he judged that situation wrong.

The debate had started of innocently enough. Alexander, bless his soul, had actually been excited to meet the famous Thomas Jefferson. He looked like an excited little puppy. And then he looked like he got kicked. Thomas was tearing him apart. Granted, Alexander could take most of the arguments on in stride, but the whole debate had devolved into a shouting match and, oh no, did Alexander just say he was going to stick his foot up someone’s—

“Boys!” Mr. Washington boomed. The chaos fell into silence. “We’ll reconvene next week to vote on the matter, as well as on who should be the president. In the meantime, why don’t you boys try to get a level head here?” Alexander looked down at the ground, guilty, but Jefferson seemed to have the notion that he had just won. Maybe he had. The classroom began clearing out and Aaron, James, and the two debaters were the only ones left.

“You don’t have the votes,” Thomas sneered and Aaron could have sworn that Alexander was actually steaming.

“It’s true. You don’t,” James added, standing behind his friend. Thomas cackled and slung his bag over his shoulder.

“Such a blunder. Makes me wonder why I even bring the thunder,” he muttered as he left. James gave a shrug and followed him out. A painful moment of silence passed as Alexander and Aaron both watched the empty door.

“I’m sorry,” Aaron said quietly. Alexander slammed his hand down on a desk. Aaron jumped a little and felt his heart fly into a sprint. “Alexander.”

“No, Aaron!” Alexander yelled, turning towards the wall and dropping his head into his hands. Aaron wanted to run more than anything, but he remained firmly planted. This wasn’t the Alexander he had been with for the past few months. He was scared.

“Alexander, please. I’m sure that you’ll get the votes,” Aaron tried, taking a cautious step forward.

“You don’t get it,” Alexander shouted back, and Aaron stepped away. Alexander turned to look at Aaron and furrowed his brow when he saw Aaron’s frightened expression. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled, his voice quiet. “It’s just… that Jefferson kid is a real dickwad. Who does he think he is?”

“Secretary of the GSA,” Aaron offered, his eyes softening. Alexander huffed.

“And I’m the Treasurer,” he countered, frustration evident. “I swear, I spent months working to get this, and he walks in, acting like he’s God’s gift to humanity. I don’t understand it! And Mr. Washington let him?! And that James kid, what’s—“

“Alexander,” Aaron soothed, putting his hands on Alexander’s shoulders. “You need to take a break, darling.” Despite the still-apparent irritation, Alexander allowed a half-smile.

“I don’t think you’ve called me darling before,” he observed, taking a step closer so that he was face to face with Aaron. “I like it.” He leaned forward and kissed Aaron quickly. Aaron, for his part, laughed and broke the kiss.

“Okay, _darling_ , it’s time to get going,” he commanded, and Alexander pouted. “Nope, nope, not that face.” Alexander’s frown deepened. Aaron sighed and gave him a quick kiss. “C’mon, pouty. Let’s get out of here.”

 

~~~

 

Aaron rarely had time for reflection anymore now that Alexander was a main fixture in his life. Since October, his days had been filled with probing conversations and his nights with text messages that made him blush. It was a whirlwind, and Aaron was loving every single second of it.

The events of the first GSA meeting, however, were threatening to disrupt this peace.

It had been a few days since the meeting, and Alexander had returned to his bad habits: never sleeping, never eating, and _constantly_ working. Aaron did his best to quell this behavior, but Alexander was too stubborn. He was more stressed than Aaron had ever seen. How Thomas managed to frighten Alexander more than Headmaster Frederick, Aaron didn’t know.

Alexander: _Hey, Aaron, do you have John and Mike’s numbers? I need to try to get through to them._

Aaron sat up in bed, his eyes heavy with sleep. He checked his clock. 3:04.

Aaron: _Alexander, get to sleep. You still have tomorrow (or today, I guess), Friday, and the weekend._

Alexander: _Do you have the numbers or not?_

Aaron: _Sleep. And make sure you’ve eaten something. Just take a small break._

Alexander: _Fine._

Aaron sighed in relief, but stopped when his phone buzzed again.

Alexander: _I’ll ask Laurens instead._

Aaron put his phone back on his nightstand and groaned into his pillow. Alexander was getting on his nerves. He was going to have to figure out a way to get his other friends to force him into sleeping and eating and keeping up with being a functional human being.

When Aaron woke up the next morning, he found a text from several mutual friends.

Laurens: _Jesus Christ, Burr, you gotta find a way to get that kid to sleep. He was texting me about phone numbers at 3 AM._

Eliza: _Aaron, I’m worried about Alexander. He was asking me about how progress on the GSA was going at the girls’ school at 4 this morning._

Angelica: _Fuck, dude, get your boyfriend to sleep. It’s 4 AM and he’s texting me about my ex Jefferson. How the shit did he even know about that?!_

Mulligan: _Burr, I love you, but MAKE ALEX SLEEP. HE WAS ASKING ME ABOUT JEFFERSON FOR TWO HOURS. DO YOU REALIZE HOW MUCH SLEEP I NEED, AARON?! I NEED SLEEP. HELP. HAAAAALP._

Laurens: _fuckin done, burr. He’s asking me if thomas and james are a thing. he needs some chill. go like make out with him or something, that usually shuts him up._

Lafayette: _Hi Aaron! Hope you’re sleeping well. I just wanted to let you know that Alexander hasn’t eaten in like two days and now he’s asking me to… I believe the word is seduce Thomas so that he stops “fucking with us.” Maybe you should talk with him?_

Eliza: _He’s been up all night. I’m worried about him, Aaron. He needs a break._

Aaron shook his head and began working on a game plan as he got ready for the day. He wished they could have another sleepover; that way, he could ensure that Alexander got some sleep. Aaron felt a wave of sadness as he thought of Sally. She promised she’d be back for spring break, but that wasn’t until April. Despite their weekly phone calls and email correspondence, he missed her.

Aaron pushed the thought from his mind and honed in on Alexander. He would need to find a way to spend time with him so that he could make completely sure that he would take a break. He was overworking himself and it absolutely was not healthy.

That morning, he found Alexander writing furiously, surrounded by Laurens, Lafayette, and Mulligan. They looked worried. Aaron could understand that. He took a seat next to Alexander and cleared his throat. Alexander didn’t even flinch.

“Alexander,” Aaron called calmly. Nothing. “Alexander, can you please just take a—“

“No, Aaron, I can’t. I’ve said this a thousand times. I don’t care that I haven’t slept or haven’t eaten much or that it’s my birthday, I just need to keep—“

“It’s your birthday?!” Lafayette exclaimed. Everyone else looked as flabbergasted as Aaron was feeling. Alexander had never mentioned his birthday, hadn’t even told Aaron when he asked. Apparently it was January 11th.

“Yes,” he responded curtly. “Now, can you let me get back to work?”

“No!” they shouted in unison. Mulligan snatched Alexander’s notebook and Lafayette grabbed his pen, leaving a dumbfounded and frustrated Alexander looking between the boys.

“Look, this is bigger than me and I can’t take even a second for a distraction—“ he started, but Laurens clapped a hand over his mouth.

“Alexander, shut up. Shut up or I will make Mulligan make you shut up,” he commanded. Alexander shifted his gaze to Aaron.

“I’m with them,” he responded, shaking his head. “I’ll let you get back to work tomorrow, but you’re taking a break for your birthday _today_.”

With that decided, the group spent the rest of the day keeping Alexander from doing any work whatsoever. When lunch came around, Mulligan and Lafayette snuck off campus to buy a birthday cake and forced Alexander to eat it. Instead of taking Alexander to Town Square, Mulligan and Aaron sat in Mulligan’s car and made Alexander sleep in the back. Mulligan was kind enough to drop Aaron off a block up from his house first, Alexander still curled up in the back.

“Thanks for the ride,” Aaron whispered as he started to get out

“No prob,” Mulligan answered. “Hey, wait.” Aaron paused and looked back. “I’m glad you’re with Alex. He’s got some real bad habits, but you do a good job looking out for him.” Aaron smiled, his eyes flicking to Alexander in the backseat.

“Thank you,” he responded, genuine. Mulligan gave a quick nod and Aaron took that as his queue to return home. No one noticed his absence.

His grandfather was growing less attentive of him these days, a fact that, while nice for Aaron, was worrisome. The complicated thing was that Aaron and his grandfather didn’t really talk. Sure, his grandfather lectured him, but it was the same things he said to any of the kids at his services. And Aaron would ask him about his day, but it was just small talk. So they spoke words, but they never really talked. Aaron decided to take it as a blessing and left it at that.

The first thing Aaron did when he got to his room was write. While that may not sound like something monumental, it was for Aaron. Growing up, he had been taught that anything personal comes after all of his homework, chores, and prayers had been finished. Now, though? Now Aaron was starting to set time aside for himself, no matter what he had to do. It was something Sally had told him to do. He had expected to feel even more stressed, but found a startlingly new sense of lightness.

So, he wrote. He wrote, then finished his homework, and took some time for himself afterwards. He was in the middle of updating his planner when his phone vibrated next to him.

Alexander: _I can’t believe you and the boys wouldn’t let me do any work all day long just because it’s my birthday._

Alexander: _Thank you <3_

Aaron smiled fondly at his phone. Alexander had done nothing but complain all day. It was nice to know that he actually appreciated it.

Aaron: _Of course :) You had better not be working now, mister._

Alexander: _Don’t you mean ‘darling’, darling? ;)_

Aaron: _Haha sure, fine. Don’t you dare start working right now, /darling/._

Alexander: _Okay, okay haha. I’m not working. But, with that being said, I would very much like for you to open up your window._

Aaron twisted in his chair to see Alexander crouched in the tree outside. He laughed quietly, careful not to make too much noise lest his grandfather hear, and opened the window for Alexander. Aaron didn’t spare a moment before turning to close the door, but Alexander grabbed his wrist and spun him back until their lips met. Aaron had been learning to respond in the moment to Alexander’s spontaneous displays of affection and leaned into the kiss happily. It took a few seconds before Aaron realized that his door was still wide open, and he pulled away hastily to close the door.

“If you don’t come back soon, I’m going to have to start working again,” Alexander threatened playfully, taking a seat on the bed.

“Oh really now?” Aaron laughed, taking a seat next to him. “Well, you’re not allowed to get back to work until at least midnight.”

“And what shall I do to pass the time?” Alexander asked, leaning in closer to Aaron, eyes flicking between Aaron’s eyes and lips.

“I can think of a few things,” he managed before their lips connected. Kissing Alexander was a habit that Aaron was incredibly happy to have formed over the past few months. It was hungry yet sweet, rushed yet patient; it was just as much of a contradiction as Alexander himself, and Aaron was addicted. He savored the softness of Alexander’s lips, the urgency with which Alexander held him, the way Alexander would sometimes pause and trail feather light kissed down to his jawline. Every moment was unforgettable and Aaron couldn’t help but think that Alexander, this hurricane of a boy, was his and his and only his.

 

~~~

 

Usually, the high that came from time alone with Alexander stayed with Aaron for at least a day. It was a Friday, Aaron was starting and ending the day with Alexander, and it was raining (he loved the rain). It was _supposed_ to be a good day.

Emphasis on “supposed.”

Instead, Alexander refused to speak a single word to him all throughout homeroom, claiming that he had loads of work that he needed to catch up on. Then, at lunch, Laurens flagged Aaron down to tell him that Alexander was meeting with Jefferson and Madison to discuss the GSA stalemate. Everyone knew exactly how bad that sounded. So, Aaron had to deal with more anxiety than he had become accustomed to alongside Alexander giving him even more of a silent treatment in their last period together. Finally, the bell rang and Aaron cornered Alexander.

“What the hell is with you today?” he bit. Alexander looked stunned for a moment but returned to his annoyingly passive expression.

“I told you. I have a lot of work today. Yesterday was nice, but I can’t keep doing that,” he explained coolly, which only made Aaron’s temper flare further.

“Why not?” he spat. “I know that the GSA is incredibly important, but you seem to be doing an awful lot more work than is necessary.” Alexander opened his mouth to say something, but Aaron continued instead. “And what was it with meeting with Jefferson and Madison today? I thought the whole point of all of this work was so that you _wouldn’t_ have to do that.”

“I wish I didn’t have to,” Alexander yelled suddenly, and Aaron stepped back. “I wish I could solve this all on my own, but I can’t! So I had to come up with a fucking agreement to appease them and get proper funding for the GSA.”

“What did you do?” Aaron asked quietly, feeling more nervous than angry.

“I promised him that I wouldn’t run for president,” he answered quietly, suddenly looking more vulnerable than ever. Aaron swallowed all of the questions he was dying to ask, instead bringing Alexander’s limp limbs into an embrace. He could feel Alexander shake as he began to sob softly into Aaron’s shoulder.

“I’m so sorry, Alexander,” Aaron whispered, rubbing circles on Alexander’s back. “I’m sorry, darling.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boy oh boy, I did NOT mean to end it that sadly. But then I did. Whoops heh heh.
> 
> It's really tough to incorporate the feels from each of the songs, but I think you can kinda guess where the inspirations came from: Cabinet Battle, defs Take a Break (like, jesus, i repeated that a thousand times hahaha), a little bit of the kind of feelings from Room Where It Happens? I might have to add more of that last one in later on. 
> 
> BUT if I were you I'd take special notice that I didn't include Say No to This (...yet...) ;)
> 
> OKAY NEXT UPDATE WILL BE THIS WEEKEND LOVE YOU BYE


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The good, the bad, the ugly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a very difficult chapter for me to write in light of the events in Orlando yesterday. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families and friends, and the entire LGBTQ+ community. I don't have any words to describe the tragedy we have all faced. 
> 
> Just a warning: this chapter contains homophobia.

Time began to fly by. The weekend was a blur that culminated in Alexander’s funding plan going through and Jefferson being elected as the first GSA president. Aaron held Alexander’s hand as they left the room.

Day by day, Aaron put a line through numbers on his calendar. Day by day, Aaron saw past Alexander’s smile. He wanted to make it better; he didn’t know how. And yet, day by day, his mind wandered from Alexander’s struggle to the odd limbo that they were resting in personally. He felt guilty and petty and selfish, but… but he also felt that he had a point.

He and Alexander had been—well, he wasn’t sure that dating was the right word—a “thing” since October, but they had never taken the time to actually define what was going on. Aaron felt himself questioning Alexander’s feelings, wondering what they were. He hated it. He hated needing anymore from Alexander than he was already getting. He hated the idea of asking for it. He felt selfish. But more than that, he was scared that maybe, just maybe, Alexander couldn’t give him what he wanted, what he needed.

Aaron did his best to push these feeling down. When that failed, he vented to Sally for hours on end. She kept telling him to talk to Alexander, and he knew that she was right, but he was frightened, so frightened, by the idea that he might lose this boy that he lov—liked. Liked a lot.

Aaron did his best, but his best lasted less than a month.

It was his birthday, February 6th, and all he wanted was to get by peacefully. Of course, he woke up already feeling the anxiety bubbling inside of him (it had become a near constant companion in the past weeks). Aaron pushed it down as he was starting to do with everything and found himself in homeroom. The boys wished him a happy birthday, Mr. Washington had the class sing to him, and Alexander promised that he would come by later to give him his gift.

Everyone seemed happy. Everyone except for Aaron, that is.

He wanted to stop feeling, to stop all of the emotions that were starting to spill over. Most of all, he wanted that hollowness that was anxiety _out_ of his stomach. He was tired, so _so_ tired. He just wanted a break. Not that he was telling anyone else this. He couldn’t, not really. They all had their own problems, real problems, problems that were so much bigger than Aaron’s feelings.

“Aaron? Aaron, are you okay?” Alexander asked, and Aaron snapped out of his stupor. They were sitting on his bed in his room.

“What? Oh, yes, yes, I’m fine,” he lied, putting on his best smile. Alexander frowned and hesitated.

“Aaron, I can tell that something’s been up,” he stated calmly, taking one of Aaron’s hands in his own. “I don’t know what it is, but I’d like to help. I know that I’ve been pretty wrapped up in my own issues lately, and I’m sorry for that. But, if you could just let me help…?” Aaron could practically feel his vocal chords stop working. He forgot how much Alexander cared sometimes. For that, he felt even guiltier.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been open with you,” he murmurred, averting his eyes.

“Don’t apologize, Aaron. You did nothing wrong,” Alexander soothed.

“I just… I know that you have a lot on your plate already, a lot of really important things, and I don’t want to become just another thing you have to worry about,” Aaron explained. Alexander put a hand on Aaron’s knee.

“You’re the only thing I worry about,” he responded. Aaron shot him a skeptical look. “Okay, maybe not the only thing, but… well, you’re on my mind constantly. If I seem absorbed in the GSA work, I, well, I am, but with good reason.”

“Yeah, I know, it’s a really important cause,” Aaron interjected. “I don’t want to get in the way of that.”

“Don’t you see, Aaron?” Alexander asked, a knowing smile on his lips. “The GSA is vastly important for many people, yes. But, well, it’s come to the point where, when I need that extra motivation to work through a long night or skip a quick lunch, it’s you.” Aaron’s eyebrows shot up. “Don’t act so surprised! I just—I look at your situation and all I want to do is help. I would… Well, I would do anything for you, Aaron. The GSA is simply the first step.”

Aaron opened his mouth a few times, trying to find the words, but he couldn’t. There was nothing to say to that, nothing that could match it. Aaron didn’t know if he was going to laugh or cry or both, so instead he leaned in, gave Alexander a quick kiss, and leaned his forehead against the other boy’s.

“Do you want to be my boyfriend?” he asked, eyes closed and grin wide.

“I—Of course! Were we not—was that a thing that we were already?” Alexander seemed genuinely surprised by the question. All Aaron could do was laugh. “Wait! I’ve been telling everyone we were! Oh my, I’m sorry.” Aaron laughed harder, his head falling onto Alexander’s shoulder. “I am so confused right now. Are we good?”

“We’re great, Alexander,” Aaron laughed, looking his boyfriend in the eyes. “We’re so great.”

 

~~~

 

“Okay, where’s my little nerd?”

Aaron bolted downstairs to find Sally standing at the door, suitcases beside her. He had been waiting months for April to arrive. Now that it was here, that Sally was here, he didn’t feel like any time had passed at all.

“Sally!” he exclaimed, pulling his sister into a tight hug. She chuckled and put her arms around him.

“Hey, loser,” she murmured.

“Aaron, take your sister’s bags to your room,” their grandfather interrupted from his place on the couch. He was reading the paper.

“Yes, sir,” Aaron answered, quickly stepping away to grab her bags. Sally put a hand on his shoulder, however, and stopped him. He looked back at her with a mix of confusion and worry.

“I can do it myself,” she explained. “How about you just walk me upstairs?”

“Sally, do not contradict my orders,” their grandfather said sternly, setting his paper down.

“I wasn’t aware that Aaron had enlisted in your personal army,” she shot back, one hand on her hip. “I’m an adult, I can handle my own bags. Thanks for the ‘hospitality’, _sir_.” Sally even used air quotes in her response. Aaron felt like the cold war had suddenly become very, very hot.

“You will not speak to me in my house like that!” the preacher shouted. Their grandfather rarely raised his voice. Aaron winced. Sally stayed cool, keeping her steady glare.

“C’mon, Aaron,” she finally said, “let’s go upstairs. Let me get the bags.” Aaron nodded gingerly and walked silently with Sally up to his room. His hands were shaking. He hadn’t even realized he’d been holding his breath till the door to his room closed behind him and his sister.

“Holy shit, Sally,” he whispered.

“It’s about time someone stood up for you, broski,” she replied, setting her bags in a corner of the room before she sat on his bed. “Have you told him about the GSA yet?”

“No,” Aaron answered quietly, looking away.

“Don’t feel bad,” she told him. “I know it’s not easy. Trust me, this rebellious mien of mine took a while to warm up to. But you should, soon. If there’s anything worse than you telling him, it’s him finding out elsewhere. It’s a miracle he doesn’t already know.”

“Yeah, I know.” He took a seat beside Sally on the bed.

“Why don’t you tell him while I’m here for spring recess?” she suggested. “If things go badly, we can go stay in a hotel together or something. And if it goes really badly, then we’ll go apartment hunting, too. Mmkay?”

“Well… alright,” Aaron agreed. He knew that he had to tell his grandfather. It was probably better to have Sally around to help.

“Good,” she affirmed with a comforting smile. “Now, how is Mr. Alexander Hamilton doing?” Aaron giggled at the title.

“He’s alright! A bit let down that Jefferson is president of the GSA, but he’s already campaigning for next year,” Aaron admitted with a laugh. “In the meantime, he’s actually started taking it a little easier.”

“Meaning?” Sally asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Well,” he began with a laugh, “it means he sleep at least three nights a week instead of zero.” Sally cackled at that.

“Good, I guess that’s a little better.” She paused a moment, considering something. “Hey, have you ever thought of running for office in the GSA? It’s not like you aren’t good enough for it or anything.”

“Eh. I’ve considered it, but I don’t really think it’s for me,” he explained. “Maybe I’ll run for a student government position or something.”

“Alright, alright, I won’t push,” she joked, nudging him on the shoulder. “So, are you two kids finally a real couple?”

“Yeah,” Aaron answered, laughing as he thought of how it had happened. “It’s funny, he thought we were already dating.”

“Oh dear,” Sally chuckled. “Nonetheless, I’m happy for you! I’m glad that you’re past all of the drama.”

“Me too,” he answered, but he couldn’t help feeling like they had spoken too soon.

 

~~~

 

“We really ought to find a better spot for dates, Mr. Burr,” Alexander commented as he slid through Aaron’s window. “Now, what was so urgent that I needed to be here right—oh.” He stopped when he noticed Sally sitting next to Aaron on the bed. “Uh, hi?”

“Alexander, this is my sister, Sally. Sally, my boyfriend, Alexander Hamilton,” Aaron introduced.

“Nice to finally meet you,” Sally chirped. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

“Oh dear,” Alexander laughed nervously. “Well, I’ve heard only good things about you, Sally. It’s a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance.”

“I already approve,” Sally joked. “Now, I’ll leave you two be in a moment, but I just have one thing to say to you, Mr. Hamilton.” She paused, crossed her legs, and cleared her throat. “Now, you don’t know me very well, but I’m going to tell you something about myself. I’m currently a law student, which means I’ll be a kickass lawyer in the very near future. This means that, if you break my brother’s heart in even the slightest way, I can hurt you and I will certainly get away with it.”

“Completely understood,” Alexander answered, serious. “You would have every right. I might even let you.”

“Good, good,” Sally nodded. “Okay, be good, you crazy kids. I’ll talk to you later.” She gave Aaron a quick hug before turning to Alexander and doing the same for him. As soon as she left, Alexander raised his eyebrows at Aaron.

“I thought it was time you meet the family,” Aaron explained sheepishly. “Sorry about the surprise. And the threat. Did not mean for that to happen.”

“That’s alright,” Alexander laughed, sitting beside Aaron and putting an arm around his shoulder. “She seems great.”

“She is,” Aaron agreed fondly, leaning his head on Alexander’s shoulder. “We’ll have to have an actual dinner or something together soon.”

“I’d like that,” Alexander affirmed.

“What is that talking?” a faint voice said from down the hall, and Aaron felt his stomach flip unhappily. His grandfather. Alexander seemed to sense the discomfort and moved away.

“Oh, you know Aaron. He loves talking to himself,” Sally lied, her voice just outside their door.

“Go, go,” Aaron whispered, nudging Alexander towards the window.

“Let me in,” his grandfather commanded, but Aaron couldn’t hear it anymore. He felt like he was going to pass out. Alexander was at the window when the door opened.

“What the hell is going on here?” the old man shouted. Sally was yelling something and Alexander was apologizing, but Aaron just put his face him his hands. It was too much to even begin processing. He was only vaguely aware of Sally guiding Alexander downstairs, of his grandfather pacing in front of him. He felt emotion building and building within him until he finally burst.

“Be quiet!” he screamed as loud as he could. His grandfather stopped talking and stepped back. “Be quiet for once in your life.”

“I just… I don’t understand, Aaron,” he answered quietly. “Why was that boy in your room?”

“He’s my boyfriend.” Aaron watched as his grandfather’s eyes widened in shock before his expression changed to anger.

“Dear lord, Aaron,” he shouted. “What next? You’re in that stupid gay club?”

“Yes, I am, actually,” Aaron yelled back. “It’s called a GSA and it’s anything but stupid.”

“Your parents would be so disappointed in you.”

“Don’t you dare say that!” Aaron bit out. “You don’t know a goddamn thing about my parents! They would have been so proud of me, so don’t you even start.”

“That’s it,” his grandfather shouted decisively. “You have one month left of school and I will ensure that you spend absolutely no time with that boy. Once that’s over, I’m sending you to a camp that might help get you out of whatever temporary insanity you’ve stumbled into.” Aaron opened his mouth to speak but his grandfather left, slamming the door after him. He could hear shouting from downstairs, likely between Sally and his grandfather, bit it was all beyond him now.

He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know what to think.

He just wanted it to be over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be safe, darlings.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's nothing like summer in the city.
> 
> AKA Lafayette's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh, what a crazy month it has been!! I'm so sorry that this took so long, but I'm hoping to be able to keep moving forward and finish in the near future. This chapter was just really really /really/ tough to get out.
> 
> IN OTHER NEWS: I have this writing blog thing specifically for hamilton!! I do ships, headcanons, rp, and one-shot requests!! Head on over here for it: https://hamiltrashmcsinbin.tumblr.com
> 
> OKAY enjoy the chapter, loves!!

“Hercules Mulligan!” Lafayette called warmly. The boy in question, who currently stood across Town Square, turned to face his friend with a wide smile. He jogged over.

“Lafayette! Finally decided to hang out with us?” he joked, nudging Lafayette on the shoulder. “Ever since school finished, it’s been a little lonely.” That was an understatement. It was mid-June and the gang hadn’t spoken in several weeks. In his defense, Lafayette had been with his family while they visited. He’d only just convinced them to let him stay the summer and for senior year.

“It has. How is Alexander?” he asked cautiously. Hercules shifted and gave a frown.

“Still the same,” Hercules admitted. Lafayette sighed unhappily.

It had been late April when everything with Aaron’s grandfather had happened. Alexander was frantic, trying to think of any and every option for a way out, but it was useless. Even if Alexander had found something, Aaron had… well, he’d just shut down. He stopped talking to anyone. His grandfather made Sally leave and had the school transfer Aaron to Lee’s homeroom. Aaron’s teachers even had to separate Alexander and Aaron in class. It was as if the past few months had never happened for Aaron. Lafayette couldn’t blame him. Mr. Burr was a frightening man. Even Hercules was afraid of him.

Alexander, though… Alexander seemed to be blocking out what was happening. He threw himself into his work and still held on to some hope that maybe he could convince Mr. Burr to change his mind. It was a useless endeavor, Aaron had already left for the special camp, but Alexander kept trying and trying. He’d even gone over to speak with Aaron’s grandfather on several occasions, all of which ended badly. Alexander slowly began blocking everyone out, saying that he couldn’t take a break. Lafayette hadn’t spoken with him since school ended, and even then, it was barely a conversation

“Has he spoken to you?” Lafayette inquired, not hopeful. A loud commotion drew their attention for a second before they decided to head away from the noisy square.

“No,” Hercules answered. “Neither has Laurens.”

Ah, Lafayette had nearly forgotten. Poor Laurens had only tried to help Alexander… About a week before school ended, Laurens tried to look after their friend the way Aaron had been. He made the mistake of mentioning that Alexander might have to get used to life with Aaron, and that was the end of it. They fought for hours before Laurens walked away.

“Unfortunate.” There was a long silence as they considered the events that had transpired.

“Oh!” Hercules exclaimed suddenly and Lafayette raised his eyebrows. “How are things with that asshole, Thomas?”

“Merde,” Lafayette chuckled. “I had almost hoped that in this chaos everyone had forgotten about that.”

“Never!” Hercules teased.

“Of course not,” Lafayette sighed. “Well, since you ask, we have a, ah, date?” Before Lafayette could speak any further, Mulligan was hooting and hollering.

“The Frenchman has a date!” he shouted, pushing Lafayette a little. “It took a year and a half, but you did it!”

“Thanks, _mom_ ,” Lafayette joked with a blush, pushing Hercules back.

“Really though,” Hercules began, his voice serious, “I’m glad one of us is happy.” Lafayette nodded slowly.

 

~~~

 

Thomas: _Picking you up at 8, right?_

Lafayette was in the middle of a good book when his phone buzzed on the desk beside him. He grinned wide. Over the past few months, he and Thomas had spent a vast majority of their shared classes doing anything but paying attention. Thomas’s French had been improving, and Lafayette was beginning to feel more at home in their conversations day by day. Once summer hit, they had stopped seeing each other as often, but that didn’t mean they had stopped talking. It was only a matter of time until Thomas shakily asked Lafayette out one day.

Lafayette: _Oui! I cannot wait for the fireworks!_

Thomas: _Mhm. You’ll be watching your first Fourth of July from the best seats in the house._

Lafayette smiled down at his phone. Thomas was… well, he was difficult to peg down. Sure, in conversations with Alexander he could be quite rude, and Lafayette very much disapproved of this behavior. But. Thomas was also capable of being sweet and kind and thoughtful and Lafayette knew that if anyone but Hercules ever found out, he’d be crucified. He took a deep breath.

Lafayette _: It’s the best as long as it’s with you._

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Lafayette waited for evening to come. He was jittery, fluttering about the house and cleaning everything in sight. When he’d finished that, he made an effort to read, but found himself going over the exact same sentence for at least a half an hour. He groaned and made his way over to his closet. When all else failed, organization was what Lafayette leaned on. Granted, he wasn’t the cleanliest person on day-to-day occasions, but when he was stressed, he became Martha Stewart.

He was in the middle of deciding whether pink should go before red or after purple when the chime of the doorbell resonated through the house. He hopped up, jogged downstairs, went back upstairs to grab his wallet and phone, returned the door, and opened it with a wide grin. Thomas stood there in a pair of jeans and a very purple button down and his hair was just as poofy as usual and oh, Lafayette was in _deep_.

“Bonjour, mon cher,” Thomas greeted.

“Hi,” Lafayette answered dumbly. He reprimanded himself internally, but Thomas was smiling even wider.

“Shall we?” he asked, standing aside and motioning to the car idling in the driveway. Lafayette nodded and followed Thomas to the car. Thomas even opened the door for him.

Lafayette was not new to the perks of living a wealthy life, but he was not nearly as comfortable with it as Thomas was. Thomas wore his money as a symbol of pride, but Lafayette would have honestly preferred a more normal life. It was times like these—times when Thomas used his wealth as a method of wooing him—that Lafayette grew unsure of his feelings.

Well, to be fair, his feelings about Thomas were never sure.

For one, everyone except for Hercules thought that Thomas was the antichrist. He was kind of a huge asshole to Alexander and was openly planning to take over the GSA—well, more than he had already achieved. That lead to the second point: Lafayette wasn’t too sure if Thomas actually had feelings for him or if he was just trying to get information for the aforementioned take-over. Lafayette wasn’t even sure if he could find the true answer to that statement, especially considering Thomas’s less than honest reputation.

“Have you solved world hunger yet?” Thomas asked, his eternal smirk tugging up the corners of his lips. Lafayette cocked his head, confused. “You’re thinking pretty hard over there, and the only explanation I can see is that you’re trying to solve world hunger.”

“Oh,” Lafayette laughed. “No, nothing like that. Just thinking about how happy I am to be spending my first Fourth of July with you.” It wasn’t a total lie. He couldn’t deny that he was attracted to Thomas and that, to a large degree, Thomas made him happy. He felt butterflies just thinking of sitting close to Thomas and watching the spectacle that would be that night.

“I’m glad I can pop your cherry,” Thomas grinned, adding on a wink. Lafayette laughed, trying to hide his nervousness. His regrets were growing by the minute. The buzz of his phone was a thankful reprieve from the moment.

Hercules: _Eyy wanna chill?_

Lafayette: _Would that I could, my friend. What’re your plans?_

Hercules: _BBQ with fam_

Hercules: _Eyy hold up, it’s your date today, yeah? Why you texting me????_

Lafayette glanced over at Thomas, who was thankfully flicking through something on his own phone. Lafayette sighed quietly.

Lafayette: _Awkward. Very very awkward. I have regrets_

Hercules: _aww, cmon frenchie. use that humor you used to win us over on your new boy toy_

Hercules: _oh and ignore all the shit alex and laurens have said about him_

Lafayette spared another look at Thomas, this time catching his eye. Thomas, unfazed, just smiled a little wider, that same Cheshire cat grin. Lafayette gave a half smile and typed a quick response on his phone.

Lafayette: _Thank you, Hercules_

“Sorry about that,” he laughed, sliding his phone back into his pocket. “You know how it goes sometimes.”

“Sure, no problem.” There was a pause as Thomas chewed on a thought. “Was that Alexander?” he asked, trying to sound nonchalant and failing. Lafayette felt his heart drop a little.

“No,” he answered, his voice quiet. He looked out the window. Thomas hummed in response.

“How _is_ he doing? I heard about everything with Aaron, and… well, I know we’ve had our differences, but I feel for Alexander.” Lafayette’s attention snapped back to Thomas. He studied his eyes carefully, trying to find any hint of insincerity. “Truly.” The jury was still out.

“It is terrible,” he conceded, dropping his gaze. “So, how’s James doing?” Thomas squinted at him for a moment, but seemed to bite. Lafayette breathed an internal sigh of relief and avoided the subject for the rest of the night.

Thomas’s parents were out of town—business, vacation, family, no one knew—so it was just him and Lafayette for the night. They found a place on a golf course and, once night fell, clusters of fireworks filled the sky near the small clearing for what felt like a happy eternity. Lafayette watched in awe, barely noticing Thomas’s arm, draped gently around his shoulder. He looked away from the fireworks, a little reluctantly, and at Thomas. His face was lit in an ethereal glow. Lafayette felt his heart flutter. He wanted to save this moment forever.

“Happy Fourth,” Thomas murmured, looking back at Lafayette. His smile wasn’t the usual plastic; it was genuine and fond and Lafayette remembered exactly why he felt the way he did for this boy.

It was nearly eleven by the time Thomas dropped Lafayette off at home. Lafayette wore a woozy smile, intoxicated by the feeling a great date causes. Still, he was haunted by a question that loomed in the back of his mind.

“Did you mean what you said earlier?” he asked suddenly, standing on the steps in front of his door. “About Alexander. Do you really care about him?” Lafayette wasn’t sure if he even wanted to know.

“Of course.” And there it was. A twitch, involuntary, to be sure. Lafayette’s heart dropped the second he realized that Thomas really didn’t care. He felt his smile fade. “Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s fine,” Lafayette lied, plastering on the best smile he could muster. “It’s just, ah… It’s late. I best get going.”

“Sure, of course.” Thomas went in for a hug, but Lafayette turned before he got the chance, slipping into his house and shutting the door quickly. He leaned back against the door, his head hanging low, and Lafayette remembered exactly why he felt the way he did for this boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaa i'm sorry, it's still sad. i meant this to be fluff and then nope it just nope did not go forth. and there's more to come. IT WILL RESOLVE EVENTUALLY. but we gotta go through the sad to get to the happy hahaha i'm sorry *cries*


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How can he say no to this?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHAT IS THIS?!?!?! A CHAPTER?!??!!? AN UPDATE!??!?!?!?!?!?!?! AFTER NEARLY TWO YEARS!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!
> 
> Y'all, it's been a really long time, but I did mean it when I said I would finish this!! It took a little while to get back into the headspace of this story, so it was a bit tough. But! Here we are! And since it was a good hiatus point (what with all the dramassss and distance), I'm just going to say that it was totally on purpose that I didn't post sooner.
> 
> BUT REALLY, I'm sorry that you guys had to wait so long, and I do my very best to avoid long hiatuses like this. I'm still planning on 20 chapters, and I'm hoping to finish at least before 2019 (jk, kind of, not totally), but don't quote me on that hahaha. I'll do my best for you guys tho!!!
> 
> WITHOUT FUTHER ADO, "mORE GAY BOIS" (as user mattnamara commented hahahah)!!!

Outside the windows of the car, columns of pines, willows, and a slew of other stretching trees sifted by, golden afternoon light streaming through, but Aaron could only look up at the grey roof above him. They had been on the road for one incredibly silent hour, and he didn’t know what he was feeling. Sure, he was glad that he no longer had to deal with the no-connections, fear-mongering camp in the middle of who-knows-where, but still. Going home—going back to his grandfather’s house—wasn’t exactly that much of a step-up from the environment he had been in for the entire summer.

  
“Sweetie,” Sally’s voice chimed in, and Aaron looked towards the passenger seat to find her sympathetic smile looking back at him. “Grandfather was just asking how camp went.” There was a pause as her smile faltered. “How are… How was it?”

He looked back up at the roof. The counsellors had not been paid enough to shame the campers enough to have that much of an effect, or perhaps Aaron was just used to it at this point. Everyone else was varying degrees of too eager to be there and doing their best with a bad situation. He wouldn’t miss anyone, except perhaps Theodosia, the pregnant teen who was the only bright spot in the compound.

“Fine,” was the answer he gave. He didn’t need to glance back over to know that Sally would be frowning, worrying as she seemed to always do nowadays. He didn’t have the energy to lie, and there would be no truth in saying that it would be okay, that he would be okay.

“Good.” His grandfather sounded just as set in his ways, not a thread of guilt in his voice. “I trust that you will be fine to return to the academy, then.” There was a heavy pause. “Without any further incidents, I mean.” 

Aaron thought of it, the school he had been part of since he was a child. The classrooms he sat in. The teachers he had bonded with. The boys who used to be his friends. Alexander. He was afraid. Would they have changed without him? Or was he the one who changed? Would he ever be as happy as he had been?

“Yes,” he decided. “Yes, I’m ready.”

~~~

Upon his request, Sally had dropped him off at Northeastern Anglican Academy just after homeroom had begun. He stood outside of Mr. Washington’s homeroom, working up the courage to reach out and open the door. It would have been easier if it weren’t for the knowledge that, behind that door, Alexander Hamilton was sitting, waiting.

As much as Aaron’s grandfather had tried to convince Aaron to switch homerooms, Aaron had insisted that it would be fine. There would be no more… “incidents.”

 _At least none that he needs to hear about_ , a sly voice in the back of his mind said. He pushed the thought away and opened the door. 

There was a room full of people, friends, but all Aaron could see were Alexander’s eyes, expectant, full of hope and sadness and shame. Every muscle in Aaron’s body told him to run or at least look away because he would cry if he had to see those eyes for another second. Instead, he mustered a curt nod and took a seat in front of Mr. Washington’s desk.

“Welcome home, Aaron,” Mr. Washington greeted, his usual kind smile the first real warmth and familiarity Aaron had felt since leaving camp.

“Thank you, sir.” Aaron knew that his words were too subdued to articulate how thankful he really was for a taste of the normalcy he had been craving. There was a long silence that followed, and he was conscious of the fact that everyone was expecting something from him. Mr. Washington seemed to sense this and hardened his eyes for a moment. 

“Understand that while I allow my homerooms to have free time in the morning, I will not tolerate any form of harassment. If anyone would like to be left to their own devices, they ought to have that freedom.” He looked over Burr’s shoulder. “You hear that, Mr. Hamilton?”

“I do.” The resignation in Alexander’s voice made Aaron want to spin around and hug him, but he kept his eyes forward.

“Alright.” Mr. Washington took a seat at his desk and began scribbling in his planner. The room was silent. Not a single person spoke, moved, or breathed loudly, instead sitting like statues, staring forward. The teacher seemed to notice this and looked up. “I said you couldn’t harass people, not that you couldn’t do anything.” Still, no one moved. “For the love of God, do something!” 

With that, the room devolved into its usual chaos. Aaron let his eyes close, surrounding himself by the sound of the life he had had before. For a moment, he felt like he was right back—

“Aaron Burr?” Aaron’s heart clenched. All at once he wanted to cry tears of joy and run out of the room. His mind wandered back to the first time he had met Alexander and a smile tugged at his lips.

“Yes?” He paused, hoping Alex would understand. “Have we met before?”

The silence that followed was too unnatural for Alex, and Aaron panicked, opening his eyes and swiveling so that he could see the boy that he—that was so important to him. Alex’s eyes, just as piercing as that first day one year ago, were watering, filling with something too immense for Aaron to understand. 

“I…,” Hamilton began, though he seemed to change his mind, a pinched smile forming. “I can’t believe it’s been a year since that day.” Aaron huffed a strangled laugh at that.

“It has been quite some time,” he agreed. “How have you… How’s everyone been?” 

“Good,” Alex said, a little too quickly. “Good, everyone’s good. Eliza and Angelica got the GSA at the girls’ school going. Laurens moved down to South Carolina. He’s—ha—Since the school has a GSA already, he’s starting a Black Lives Matter chapter. Lafayette is dating Jefferson and, well, Mulligan’s made it very clear that I am to be happy for him. Uhm… Mr. Washington is Mr. Washington. I…” His rambling slowed until he trailed off, his eyes stuck on Aaron’s. “I’ve missed you, Aaron.” 

Aaron’s eyes widened. He opened his mouth to speak, but found that nothing could come out. Alex seemed to understand, nodding slowly. He reached to where Aaron’s hand was perched on the back of his chair, placed his calloused palm over it.

“I’ve missed you,” he repeated, quieter. “I spent every day thinking about you. I even… I’m not… You _know_ I’m not—I just—." He cut himself off, gave a frustrated sigh, and scraped his free hand over his face. Aaron couldn’t help smiling wide at that. Alex hadn’t changed one bit. “I prayed. For you. You know I’m not very religious, but… Well, I thought that you deserved me checking out all the options. And I know you believe. I thought that I could believe for you, for just a few minutes at least.”

Maybe Alex had changed.

Aaron felt like a freight train had hit him. The enormity of Alex’s confession—it made him breathless. Alex, of his strict beliefs, unwavering once he’s said something, was willing to try all the options, even an option that assumed he wasn’t all-powerful, for Aaron. He tried to say something, did his best to come up with something that said that he understood, that he felt it, that he was moved.

“I’ve missed you, too,” he managed in a whisper. Alex’s lips curled into a slow smile and he nodded, understanding.

~~~ 

“Aaron,” was the first thing that slippery voice said to him. Thomas. It looked like he would have a class with him this semester. Just his luck.

“Jefferson,” Aaron mimicked, taking the only available seat beside the boy in question. “I trust your summer has gone well. I heard of your relationship with Lafayette. Best wishes to you both.”

“Aw, thanks, Burr!” Jefferson cackled at that. “I think that’s the most emotional thing I’ve ever heard you say!”

Aaron ignored him, pulling a notebook and pencil from his bag and flipping through the syllabus once their professor had handed it to him. He was set on ignoring Thomas and his drama for as long as humanly possible. He was trying to stay under the radar, not beg for the limelight.

“It’s nice,” Thomas continued, “that you can be so positive about my relationship when your romantic life is… well… you know.” 

“I’m sure I don’t,” Aaron murmured, unfazed.

“Well, with you gone this summer, did you really think Alex would spend his time waiting around for you?”

Aaron did not look up. Aaron may have broken the tip of his pencil, but he did _not_ look up. Thomas had to be lying. He was just out to cause trouble, Aaron knew that. 

“Oh no, you didn’t know?” Aaron did not respond. “Well, Alex met this girl and… well, Maria Reynolds’ reputation precedes her, you should know.”

Indeed, it did. Maria was a student at the girls’ school, a classmate of Eliza’s whom he had never met, but had heard enough about. Aaron didn’t like to listen to rumors—Lord knew that he had been on the wrong end of them more than once—but, well, the revelation played into exactly what Aaron had been worried about. He had expected Alex to have moved on, and it seemed too good to be true that he would return to have Alex waiting. As crushing as it was, it seemed more plausible.

“I don’t believe you,” Aaron tried, his voice betraying him. He wanted to believe Alex. He knew that Thomas would do anything to benefit himself. Still, the thought burrowed itself in his mind.

“Suit yourself.” Thomas shrugged, pulling his supplies out of his bag, poorly hiding a smug grin. “If you don’t believe me, you could always ask him yourself. James tells me you know him well; do you think he’d tell the truth?”

Aaron didn’t answer. He didn’t look over. He made notes on his copy of the syllabus. And if he broke the tip of his pencil again, or got a little teary, well, no one said anything about it.

~~~ 

He meant to talk to Alex. He really meant to, but when he passed Alex in the hall, he looked down and walked faster instead. He spent the entire day avoiding Alex, until, finally, Alex came to him.

Alexander: _Aaron?_

Alexander: _Aaron, are you avoiding me?_

Alexander: _Is it your grandfather? Did he say something?_

Alexander: _I can fix this. It’ll be just like over the summer. I think I was getting through to him._

Aaron had the overwhelming urge to throw his phone against the wall. He let out a sigh instead, knowing that if he didn’t say anything, Alex would think himself into exhaustion, starvation, and dehydration, or maybe even climb back up to Aaron’s window. He had to put a stop to this.

Aaron: _It’s not him, Alex. Just stop texting me, okay?_

Alexander: _I can’t do that. You know I can’t do that. I’ve fought for you for so long. You mean so much to me, I can’t give up on you._

Aaron hadn’t cried in months. Even when his grandfather had found out about everything and sentenced him to a summer at that terrible camp, he hadn’t cried. But he broke now, tears pouring from his eyes as he hunched over his desk. He heaved, sobbing as quietly as he could, not wanting to attract attention from his grandfather. His heart beat painfully hard in his chest and he felt his breathing pick up, a panic attack barely held at bay.

Aaron: _Did you say the same thing to Maria Reynolds?_

He didn’t know if he wanted a response. No, he knew he didn’t want a response.

And when four hours passed and the clock showed it was past midnight, Aaron figured Alexander didn’t want to respond either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MAN, THAT WAS SAD.
> 
> I think part of why this probably took so long for me to actually write is that it's got a bit (HA just a bit, yeah right) heavy, especially in my notes. And it's gonna keep being a bit (I'm thinking less sad heavy and more mad heavy?? BUT WHO KNOWS, Y'ALL KNOW HOW MY WRITING CAN GET) heavy, like how Act 2 was a lotta sad. HOWEVER I promise that neither Alex nor Aaron will die in the process hahaha. 
> 
> HERE'S HOPING I UPDATE IN A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME!!


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron is pulled into the room where it happens.
> 
> And then it all burns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY FUN SIDE NOTE (before you're sucked into the angst): ya girl is succeeding in the world lately. I got a creative writing award at my university, I got funding for my thesis project, and I'm well on my way to writing a major collection of fiction, poetry, vignettes, and more! WOW! WHO KNEW?! A FANFIC WRITER WHO IS BECOMING A LEGIT WRITER (i mean writing fanfic is legit writing and i wILL SCREAM IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS but you know what i mean like it's gonna be my career and all).
> 
> But really, I'm jazzed (and apparently 70 years old) to be expanding my writing and to be hopefully getting more exposure before the time comes for the dreadful grad school applications. Wish me luuuuuuuuck.
> 
> (P.S. Like webcomics? Like my writing? Like quirky and cool plots? WELL YOU ARE IN LUCK! I'm collaborating with an artist friend of mine to create a webcomic that will hopefully become a regular series! If you want more info or to have some place to follow along to see progress, comment or DM me and I'll let you knoooooooow!!!)

It was easy enough to switch homerooms after that. All he had to do was tell his grandfather that he didn’t want to be around Alexander anymore and he was placed in Mr. Lee’s homeroom instead. It was for the best, Aaron told himself. It was his senior year. He didn’t have the time for anything but school.

So, he did what he knew how to do best and he ignored it—Alexander, the GSA, Thomas, all of it. He threw himself into his studies—easy enough to do with four AP classes and college applications—and didn’t come up for air if he could help it. He expected it to be more difficult considering Alexander’s habit of never giving up, even when there was no winning, but the boy didn’t text back, didn’t corner him, and did little more than show his puppy dog eyes in the hall.

It was a relief, Aaron told himself. There was so much to do and absolutely no time could be wasted on petty drama. It was for the best that Alexander was, for once, not fighting back.

Not fighting for him.

Giving up on him. On everything they had overcome. On the future they could have.

Aaron shook his head and forced himself to focus back on the textbook he was hunched over. He was not sad. He refused to be sad. Alexander had betrayed _him_ , not the other way around. Not even Hamilton himself could find a good enough excuse for it. It was clear, he reasoned, that he was better off alone. 

And of course this was the exact moment that his phone chimed.

Aaron’s heart did not stop momentarily in its chest. He did not nearly drop his textbook in his excitement. And he most _certainly_ did _not_ clamber for his phone only to drop it—twice.

When he finally did get around to checking the message, he couldn’t decipher the uncomfortable tug in his chest when he saw that it wasn’t from Alexander.

Thomas: _Heard about you and Hamiltrash._

Thomas: _He’s an idiot._

Aaron scoffed, but still found himself appreciative. He hadn’t told anyone about the incident with Alexander, which meant that he didn’t have to deal with it, but also that he had no one.  Sally was gone again. His friends—Lafayette, Mulligan, Laurens, even the Schuyler sisters—they were all Alexander’s friends first. He was the leftover. He was alone.

Again, as if on cue, his phone pinged.

Thomas: _I thought you could use some moral support._

Aaron had exactly ten seconds to squint at his phone in confusion before the doorbell rang downstairs. His eyes blew wide. Thomas Jefferson. On his doorstep.

“Can I help you?”

Thomas Jefferson. About to meet his grandfather. 

Aaron nearly fell out of his chair as he burst into a run, trying to get downstairs. He could still hear, though; it was too late.

“Why, yes. My name is Thomas. I’m a friend of Aaron’s from school and I thought that maybe we could hang out together today. Study for a bit, maybe even go to church with my parents later.”

Oh, he was good. Very good. Even as Aaron skidded to a halt behind his grandfather, he was sure that the older man’s face was as close to grinning as it could get.

“Which church would that be?”

The jig was up. Thomas would _never_ —

“Well, I would love to see one of your services, but my grandmother, you see, cannot travel very far, so we all go to the parish just down the street from her. St. Paul’s, with Pastor Bloom?” Thomas leaned just enough to make eye contact with Aaron, who was gaping behind his grandfather. The mischievous smile was brief, but Aaron couldn’t miss it. “Oh, hi, Aaron.”

His grandfather turned to look at Aaron, squinting. He looked back to Thomas, then again to Aaron. A tense pause. Aaron was just waiting for the verbal lashings to ooze forth. Except—Well, his grandfather _smiled_. An actual, full-fledged _smile_.

“Okay. You boys have fun now!” And then he was gone, walking back into his study, leaving Aaron shell-shocked and Thomas grinning.

“Wha—You—I—How?” Aaron managed elegantly. Thomas smirked and walked back towards the driveway where a sleek black car sat.

“C’mon, don’t have an aneurism, Burr! We can talk in the car.” With that, he disappeared inside the back of the car, leaving Aaron on the doorstep. 

Even as he stepped forward, he was sure that hell was freezing over deep below his feet.

 

~~~

 

The car finally came to a stop before a sprawling estate on the edge of town. Aaron had never seen anything so extravagant in his life. He was sure that it was larger than their entire high school.

“You live here?” he finally managed, his voice embarrassingly high.

“Oh, Burr,” Thomas cooed, a thread of mockery lingering in his voice, “you’re adorable.” The chauffeur—an actual, real-live, hat-wearing chauffeur—opened the car door and Thomas slid out, stretching as though they had been traveling for hours. It seemed like it should have been hours; this was a whole different universe. “Welcome to Monticello.”

“Your house has a name?” Aaron found himself asking, but, yeah, looking at it from outside of the car, it seemed worthy of a name. Thomas laughed and made his way towards the door, trusting Aaron to follow. The entryway—“the foyer,” Thomas had corrected—was even grander than the exterior. They walked from room to room, and Aaron felt more and more like he had stepped into a fairytale castle. A voice in the back of his mind warned him that he was far out of his depth, but his wonder quieted that down quickly.

“So, what do you think?” Thomas asked once they had arrived in his quarters—his _quarters_ , because it’s more than just _one_ room, it’s a _whole_ suite—though he seemed sure of the answer.

“Amazing,” Aaron said anyway.

“I can’t believe you’ve never been here before,” Thomas mused, flopping onto the bed.

“We’re not friends,” Aaron answered unthinkingly, then clamped a hand over his mouth. It muffled the stream of words that followed. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to sound so ungrateful or mean or rude or—”

“Aaron!” Thomas shouted, though he was laughing. It seemed like Thomas was always laughing. “It’s okay. You’re not wrong. But I intend to right that wrong.

“Why?” Aaron blurted again. He cringed at himself.

“Why do you always try to silence yourself? You always look like you regret speaking whenever you do, even when what you’re saying is usually smart and valid.” Thomas wasn’t laughing now. His smile was not mischievous, but… oddly tender. Like he actually cared. “I want to be your friend because you’re an amazing human being, Aaron Burr. You’re fascinating. You’ve weathered so many storms, storms that would break others so quickly, but you’re always stronger on the other side of them.”

“Oh,” was all that Aaron could say.

“Look, I don’t mean to step into business that isn’t mine, but Hamilton is an idiot. He is! And unfortunately, you’re paying for his mistakes more than he is, which just isn’t right. Over the past few days… well, it seemed like you were in need of a friend.” There was a pause and Thomas’s smile turned impish. “Or two. I may have invited James over.”

“Oh.”

“Have I made a terrible mistake? Look I can take you back home right now if that’s what you want. I don’t want to pressure you into—”

“No. It’s okay. It’s… good.” And it was. For the first time in a very long time, Aaron felt like he was with someone that was on his side, someone who understood and appreciated him. Sure, Thomas had been an asshole more times than he could count, but, now, right now, he was being kind and thoughtful, and Aaron was not going to push that away. He _deserved_ this. He deserved something good in his life.

“Good.” Thomas hopped off of the bed and grabbed his phone from the counter, tapping away. “I didn’t want to overwhelm you at first, but I thought maybe you could sleep over, too. We could order pizza and stay up late watching movies and just kind of hang out.” He stopped and looked up. “If that’s okay.”

“I think it’s okay. I just need to call my grandfather.” Aaron frowned. “He might not approve. 

Thomas clicked his tongue and returned to his phone. “Oh, he’ll approve alright. Let me call him, Aaron. I know how to sweet talk your dear old g-pa.” Aaron found himself laughing, really laughing. The sound surprised him, but he gave into it, let it flow through him. Yes. This was _right_. This was _good_. He didn’t even have to convince himself to believe it.

 

~~~

 

The next evening, Aaron found himself back in his own bedroom, a smile still hanging on his lips. It had been amazing. Fantastic. Stupendous. He couldn’t find a joyful enough word to capture his feelings. 

He wasn’t alone anymore. And he didn’t have to pretend to be anything but himself with Thomas and James. He didn’t even have to lie to his grandfather, not when Thomas was there and willing to do it for him.

He collapsed on his bed, blissed out.

His phone pinged from where it sat on his desk. He ignored it. It pinged again. And again. And again, again, again, until Aaron pulled himself up with a huff, hoping to end the flurry of texts.

Lafayette: _Thomas just told me the funniest joke – he said you slept over last night?_

Lafayette: _So funny. Hahaha. Right?_

Lafayette: _Right?!_

Lafayette: _HE WAS NOT JOKING. WHAT IS HAPPENING? AARON BURR, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?_

Thomas: _So Laf might not be super happy._

Mulligan: _Okay, I excuse Lafayette because love is blind or whatever, but you?! Burr, Thomas is basically the antichrist._

Angelica: _Dude. I thought we agreed after that hot minute when I dated Thomas. It’s a whole rule and everything._

Angelica: _Thou shalt not associate with scum._

Aaron was about to toss his phone out the window (well, not really, but also, yeah, definitely for real) when it buzzed one more time. He nearly dropped it.

Alexander: _I’m sorry. I know it’s too late. I don’t expect forgiveness. Just know that I love you._

Aaron was paralyzed, his phone in a white-knuckled grip between his palms. He half expected a panic attack to wash over him, but the tight ache in his chest was not from a jackrabbiting heart. Instead, his legs gave way and he sunk to the edge of his bed, tears already streaming down his cheeks.

He had hoped… He thought that maybe… Maybe Hamilton hadn’t done it, maybe Thomas had been lying, maybe everything was okay for once in Aaron’s life.

He should have known better.

He pulled himself up the bed so he could rest his head on the pillow, curled into himself, and waited for sleep to take him.

 

~~~

 

It was sheer exhaustion that kept Aaron from asking to stay home from school, faking one illness or another. The second he plopped down at his seat in Mr. Lee’s homeroom, he put his head down. Being awake was just too much. He didn’t know how long he sat there before someone finally spoke.

“Have you read this sh—stuff?” one of the boys in the back asked. He sounded half-amused, half-outraged.

“The Reynolds Pamphlet?” Aaron nearly whipped his head around, but stayed where he was, listening. “Oh yeah. Crazy shit, man.”

“Language!” Mr. Lee shouted.

“Sorry, Mr. Lee,” both of the boys muttered. There was a pause before the door opened and someone—Aaron didn’t look up to see who—walked in.

“Alexander Hamilton had a torrid affair and he wrote it down right there!”

That voice belonged to Thomas, who sounded all too pleased with himself.

“Highlights!” James called out.

“’I’ve been accused of improper speculation’—who even says sh—things like that?—‘with one James Reynolds’,” the first boy read out. “’In reality, the only wrong I’ve done is in relation to his sister, Maria, whom I maintained some amorous contact with this past summer.’”

Aaron fought the urge to run out of the room. He needed to hear this.

“Oh, do let me read on,” Thomas giggled. “’Once James had discovered the relationship, he threatened to expose me if I refused to pay him a considerable sum. I payed him, but I _never_ used funds from the GSA. I didn’t want people to know that I am bisexual. I was afraid. And I regret to say that I continued seeing Maria, with Aaron Burr, the boy I so love, absent during the summer.’”

“No,” another student murmured.

“Boo!” the other two in the back of class called out. The bell rang and there was a pause before—

“Well he’s never gonna be president now,” Thomas scoffed.

Aaron couldn’t take it any longer. He finally lifted his head, sucked in a sharp breath, and gathered his things. He didn’t look at anyone else.

“Aaron,” he heard Thomas whisper, shock and embarrassment echoing in his voice, but Aaron just walked into the hall. He couldn’t be where all of that was. He couldn’t—

The white floors of the hallway were buried under a sea of pink pamphlets, all labeled _THE REYNOLDS PAMPHLET_ in large block letters. He squat down and picked up a handful, turning them over in his hands for a while before standing. Aaron’s eyes followed the trail before his feet until, looking up, he saw Hamilton standing across from him, several feet away.

He wanted to vomit.

“Aaron,” was all Hamilton could manage, breathless.

Aaron felt as though the wind had been knocked from him. He couldn’t say anything. There was nothing to say or do or _feel_ at this point. God, he just wanted to run away from it all and never, ever see anyone from this hell of a town again. He wanted—

As if on cue, Eliza and Angelica rounded the corner at the end of the hallway, their faces a mixture of concern and anger. He wanted to run to them, to be enveloped by their arms and warmth and safety, but he couldn’t seem to move. Hamilton seemed to realize and looked behind him. Eliza shot him a glare and squat down, gathering pamphlets as quickly as she could, while Angelica kept walking forward. 

“I came as soon as I heard,” she announced, her eyes on Aaron’s.

“Angelica! Thank God,” Hamilton sighed. “Someone who understands what I’m struggling here to do.” Her gaze snapped to him. It became clear at once that this was the wrong thing to have said.

“I’m not here for you,” she bit out. “Aaron is like a brother to me, and I know him like I know the sisters I share blood with. You will _never_ find anyone as compassionate or as brave.” She stepped forward, her eyes burning with fury. “I love Aaron as my brother, and I will _always_ choose his happiness before mine.” She leaned in so that she was just a breath from Alexander’s face. “Put what we had aside.” She huffed and moved towards Aaron. “I’m standing at _his_ side.” Eliza, arms full of pamphlets, joined them at Aaron’s other side, gently coaxing him down the hall. “You could _never_ be satisfied,” Angelica spat, her eyes fixed on Alexander’s as they passed.

“God, I hope you’re satisfied,” Eliza agreed, her voice harder than he had ever heard it, before her warm eyes found Aaron’s again. “C’mon, let’s go.”

 

~~~

 

The trio sat on the floor in the Schuyler house’s sitting room, crowding the lit fireplace, pink pamphlets piled before them. Aaron had been reading the same line for five minutes, his mind refusing to let him read any further into this misery. Eliza and Angelica sat silent, their arms circling around his sides, a comfort greater than any words. 

“I remember every text he ever sent me,” Aaron murmured to no one in particular. “There were so many, but—well, from the moment I read them, I knew he was mine. He _said_ he was mine. I… thought he was mine.” Aaron sucked in a shaky breath. “His words—so many words—flooded my senses. The sentences he wrote—they left me defenseless. He built palaces and cathedral with his mind and all of those breathtaking words of his. And he… It felt like he crafted them all for me.”

Aaron looked down again at the pamphlets, his heart already shattered, shards spread below his ribcage, too tiny fish out, piece together. Tears flooded the edges of his eyes for the thousandth time.

“When he was mine,” Aaron managed, “the world always seemed to burn.”

“I can’t believe him,” Eliza murmured, her voice heavy with a weight that Aaron felt. “He published all of this, even his texts to her. He told the whole world. He just wanted to clear his name, and he was willing to bring you down with him. 

“He’s an Icarus,” Angelica whispered quietly, her head on his shoulder. “He flew too close to the sun.”

“These words!” Aaron shouted suddenly. He felt the sisters tense, but settle back into place. “He’s obsessed with his legacy. All of these sentences,” he shook the pamphlet in his hand, “are senseless! He’s paranoid about how they perceive his life and his choice and him and him and _him_!” Aaron’s voice was ragged and rough with rage. He sucked in a breath, steadying himself and threw his pamphlet into the fire.

“The world has no right to my _heart_.” He tossed another one into the fire. “The world has no place in _our_ relationship.” Another. “They don’t get to know what I say.” Another. “I’m burning the words, the memories, that might have redeemed you.” Another. “He’s forfeited all rights to my heart.” Another. “He only has the memories, now, of when he was mine.” Aaron held a pamphlet in his hand, shaking, poised above the fire. Angelica and Eliza had pushed the rest of the pile into the fire with him. This was the last one. 

“I hope that you burn,” he whispered. The pamphlet was engulfed by flames.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y ' A L L
> 
> Yikes, ouch, my feelios. AND I WROTE THIS SO I'M RESPONSIBLE. *finger guns* Why am I like this? (:
> 
> (SIDE NOTE: biphobia/binegativity is DEFS a thing, sadly even in the LGBTQ+ community. I DO NOT CONDONE IT. I AM PANSEXUAL AND DEFS DON'T CONDONE ANY SHAMING FOR THIS STUFF. But the fear is real, and it could be something that foes (*cough cough* ttttthhhhoooommmmaaaaasssss *cough cough*) could use "against him" to try to gain more power. CRAPPY but true)
> 
> Anywho, we're getting into the final few chapters! Next one is probably going to be sad tooooo but hopefully it'll get better ASAP. (I say hopefully as though I'm not the writer and have no control over this HA who knows (me).) I'd like to finish this by the end of this summer, BUT WE ALL KNOW HOW THAT WORKED OUT WHEN I SAID THAT LAST TIME (2 years passed). 
> 
> But really. We're nearly there!! Exciting!!!!! Soon I will stop torturing my babies!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING, I LOVE YA BUNCHES, AND MAKE SURE TO KUDOS COMMENT SHARE AND ALL THAT JAZZ!!!


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